Diversity!!

Science Watch (July 2011)

2011-07-09T12:54:00.003+05:00

Picture of the Month

Tearing Apart: To begin with, this isn't a penguin but a cell in the separation process of cellular divisions. It was previously understood that only microtubules were responsible for pulling apart cells but this recent 3-D image shows that some unknown filaments also have an integral role in cellular division. (Photo: American Association for Advancement of Science)

Weevils have nuts and bolts for knees!
A research report published in Science magazine explains the Papuan Weevil's knee structure to resembles something that was restricted to hardware stores up till now, a nut and a bolt!
Using X-ray microtomography (which is just a fancy way of saying super zooming), the researchers found that the weevils turned their spiral legs in threaded sockets with the help of effector muscles, much like screwing a nut in a bolt. This helped them to find footholds in their habitat; which is full of leaves and twigs.
Well, discoveries like this give solidity to the fact that nature is, in fact, the best engineer of all.

'Printing' Blood Vessels
A California based bio-tech company, Organavo, recently stated that it has constructed the first synthetic, natural blood vessel. This may sound as an oxymoron but this blood vessel is synthetic in name alone as it uses entirely human cells for its construction; endothelial cells for lining the internal walls, smooth muscle cells for regulating blood pressure and fibrous cells for structural support and endurance.
The whole process is done in a '3D printer' where tiny robotic arms gel together the cells in an orderly fashion at the rate of 0.1 inch\minute. The newly synthesized vessel is then acclimatized to its subsequent job by allowing some stuff like blood plasma to flow through it for around a month.
Such vessels can have a great impact on how bypass surgeries are done. The surgeons can now cut that part of finding functional veins from the patient's own body, making the operation a lot easier.

The Crocodile on Steroids

The skull belonging to the 'most colossal of all sea monsters' was recently unveiled at the Dorset County Museum in the UK. It measures 2.4m and is 95% complete. Although the rest of the body of Pliosaur is not yet found and may never be found but according to estimates it may measure 15-18m from tip to tail: just imagine yourself standing face to face with this giant...you will die before those razor sharp teeth start shredding you!!

Buried Mountains
Gamburtsev Mountains, may sound like just another mountain range on Earth but in reality they are the most unique of them all because they lie below the surface of the Earth! With peaks going up to 9000 feat, valleys dotted with an interconnected lake system and a sheet of Antarctic ice for a sky it is without doubt the most peculiar mountain system ever discovered.
Although they were uncovered by a Russian seismic survey in 1950 but research work was very limited until University of Columbia geophysicist Robin Bell took to studying the mountains and has revealed some fascinating news including the obfuscated origin of this range. "Normally mountains arise when you have smashed together continents, from volcanoes or subduction zones," Bell says. "But none of these exciting things happened under Antartica for a long time. That is the mystery."

One Liners

Pakistan became the sixth country in the world, and the first Muslim state to map the genome of one of its citizens.

The Atlantis became the last shuttle to be launched into space on July 8th 2011 at 3:29 p.m GMT.

Researchers working at a Leicester residential home have found that anti-microbials containing silver are capable of killing bacteria with an efficiency of 94%.

Australian researchers at the University of New Castle have developed a nitric oxide cream that increases the time taken by deadly snake venom to reach the blood stream by 50%.

[Tech Tips] Metro 2033 Crash Fix

2011-07-09T09:23:00.000+05:00

Well those Ukrainians are sure masters at producing post-apocalyptic gaming titles and Metro 2033 is no exception following the footsteps of the hit S.T.A.L.K.E.R series. I didn't play this game when it came out last year and just casually downloaded it around a week from now and I was in for a surprise...the game won't work past the main menu or when you were lucky enough to load a mission (it crashed on the loading screen). I was damn irritated as nothing would fix this issue despite me having all the firepower to run this game at its max.

And then I discovered the fix :).

> Download the Metro2033_fix file. Use 'relegated007' as the password.
> Install Metro 2033 fix.exe (which is basically a v1.1 patch).
> Copy the contents of the crack folder into your main Metro 2033 folder (the one with the executable in it)
> Run the game, tweak the settings the way you want but remember to disable "Advanced Physics". Your game might crash to the desktop after or during the saving of the settings. Repeat the process if it occurs in between your work, remembering to start in "Safe Mode". (the game will automatically display a dialog after you start the game launcher after a crash)
> After you have played with the settings..play the game!!

Note: The game will still crash on normal mode. This fix works by providing you a safe mode that is 'crash proof'. So you will have to start the game twice each time you wanna play it. Well it is better than not playing the game at all, isn't it?

I hope this helps. :)

[Tech Tips] Dirt 3 'Season 2 Won't Unlock' Fix

2011-07-09T09:03:00.002+05:00

Well this Dirt 3 is sure a good game but it is giving the players who use cracks a hard time (much like that b*tch Batman: Arkham Asylum).
Recently a few of the people that used my original Dirt 3 fix pointed out that they can't continue beyond Season 1 and into Season 2.
I found two reasons for this issue...

1. You don't have a podium finish in the Season 1 finale.
In this case replay the event.

2. It is some sort of an anti-crack protection.
This technique was initiated by Rocksteady and implemented in that Batman: Arkham Asylum game in which players that haven't legally bought the title can't continue past certain points during the gameplay (although all had some potential workarounds ;P). I guess Codemasters are trying to do the same but you can evade this too.
> Goto C:\Program Files\Codemasters\Dirt 3\database or a variant path.
> Find a file name database_restrictions.xml (This file basically governs the locked stuff in the game and when it is to be unlocked)
> Move it to a folder other than Codemasters.
> Start the game with my original fix.
> After you have loaded your save game the game will ask you that do you want to unlock all the cars and stuff. Select No. (Selecting Yes will lead to complications later on, including crashes, as some of the stuff that has been unlocked is DLC that isn't actually present in the game installation!!)
> Continue your tour!

I hope this helps. :)

Relegatedz Rankings [The Hottest Around]

2011-06-26T19:00:00.020+05:00

In 1912, an American scientist named Wilbur Scoville devised a scale to measure the hotness factor of a pepper or other stuff containing the compound capsaicinoid. Capsaicinoid is an irritant for us mammals as it triggers a burning response in whatever tissue it comes in contact with...you know the feeling!!

A rough estimate of the torture you have to induce from a fiery habanero is given in terms of Scoville units, which is basically the amount of times you have to drink water over the frikkin' chili to cut down its effect to zero!!! Kidding!

10. A'ji Dulce

0 Scoville Units

Native to the South Americas, this chili aint worthy to be called a chili. It is sooo sweet you can have a bowl of it for dinner and then brag about it to your friends, 'You know I had a bowl of chilies for dinner last night, god promise!'

Anytime!

9. Peperoncini

100 Scoville Units

You knew it was Italian didn't you?? Well the Peperoncini doesn't live up to its mafioso name and delivers just a mild punch when you were expecting a full burst of Thompson fire from it. You can take it twice or thrice before feeling a bit of that 'something'.

Why the hell did this shoe show up in our Google Images search for peperoncini?

8. Jalapeño

Spicy? Hell Yeah!!

2500 Scoville Units

Native to Mexico this weirdly named chili is smoked, stuffed with cheese and eaten and jelled into jellies to poison schoolchildrens' lunchboxes; well you can't blame the Mexicans for such patriotic behavior, we would have done the same if we had an indigenous celebrity chili (see pic!). You go into a Mexican restaurant and half the menu is stuffed with jalapeno delicacies Caviche Accapulco, Burrito Casserole...hell they are a bunch of tongue twisters!!!

Well if you have eaten a jalpeno raw then your eyes might water and a little burning can be felt on the tongue. You can walk away harmless from this ordeal.

7. Serrano Pepper

Chilliland!

20,000 Scoville Units

One of the most used chilies in Mexico, Serrano is an uninviting, sharp red pepper common to the eastern Mexican states of Puebla and Hidalgo. It is mostly eaten RAW and packs quite a punch. You might experience a sharp biting sensation on your tongue along with watery eyes and a runny nose. A box of tissues is a must while eating it raw.

6. Cayenne Pepper

Well it does seem sexy :-P

50,000 Scoville Units

This luscious, red chili is named after the city of Cayenne in the French Guinea. However it is the perfect example for the adage "looks can be deceiving" because if you are unlucky enough to get one of these in your mouth you are bound to get some uncontrolled watering of your eyes and a leaky nose and ah! that poor tongue of yours!!

5. Bird's Eye Chilies

A typical Thai mouse. Notice the
stuff in the background? They are the
Bird's eye chilies!

100,000 Scoville Units

A small round red chilli grown in the former Spanish\ Portuguese colonies of East Asia, Bird's Eye Chili is so named because of its small, almost round shape and because of the fact that it is a personal favorite of birds to eat and disperse. We question why because this little piece of shit (we are not being offensive here...it is known as 'Mouse's Dropping' in Thailand; we wonder how the mouses look over there!!) has quite a load of heat in itself. A typical Bird's Eye Chilli can make you sweaty even when the temperature around is close to 10 degrees!!

4. Madame Jeanettes

350,000 Scoville Units

We didn't know Madame Jeanette was
euphemism for 'wrinkled, old woman!'

These innocuously named chilies are so inviting; who would turn down a chili with a name like a hostess on a French prairie? Well you should!! unless you want your ass on fire. These bell pepper like chilies (Michael Jackson's nose-job anyone?) have a very high capsaicin content and once ingested they will make you a sorry piece of shit. Expect some condolences your way as you cry convulsively "Why God? Waaaayyyy have you made this %&@^@^&@$&$&@@$***#%?" And did we mention that you won't be able to taste a thing after the hell load of taste buds you have killed?

3. Red Savina Habanero

"Yeah! I eat it whenever I feel like
eating it. And thats about a 100 times
a day!!!"

1,060,000 Scoville Units

As if the world hadn't got its fair share of ass-scorchers yet, Robert Garcia (we believe he is of Mexican parentage) selectively bred Habanero chilies and produced a badass chili that held the world record for the hottest stuff on our planet (after Gisele Bundchen that is) from 1994 to 2006. Once eaten, it will start with a mild pine-applish taste and then build on from that...and by build we mean it culminates into making your intestinal track a FUCKING LOOP OF FIRE!! Well lets not talk about the mouth here...we bet you won't have one after eating this stuff.

2. Bhut Jolokia

1,100,000 Scoville Units

Just try and eat me you SOB bwahahaha!

This pepper's name literally translates to 'Ghost Chili' and this is not a manifestation of a typically superstitious Indian mind but rather this stuff is truly paranormal in terms of the sting it delivers. A typical bhut jholakia will turn you into a very sorry sight; you will sweat an Indus, you will cry an Atlantic and your innards will turn into the lava from Mount Pinatubo. And before moving on we would like to introduce you to some uses of this stuff...

It is used for treating stomach ailments; yeah, when the stomach is gone, the defects follow.
It is used as a 'remedy' for Indian summer heat; by scorching you to hell. Whoever came up with this presumed that the dead feel no heat, well do they?? GENIUS!!
It is proposed to be used in grenades to 'flush out terrorists' by the Indian Defense Department; by flushing out terrorists they mean scraping out the charred remains of what used to be a terrorist, pretty effective. Pentagon you listen?

1. Trinidad Scorpion Butch T

1,463,700 Scoville Units

Now we know about Devil's
favorite fruit!!

We assume it was once named Trinidadian Scorpion Sting and Butcher of Testicles before it was toned down for the Guinness Book of World Record where it reigns the page for the hottest pepper. This badass chili is grown in Australia by the Chili Factory and the seeds for it are provided by the Hippy Seed Company with Butch Taylor being credited as its discoverer (enough bullshit for a day, by the way I guess the Chili Factory will look quite similar to the Chocolate factory of Willie Wonka's, just replace all those yummy chocolate rivers with molten lava and all the chocolates with this Butch T).

Well no sane man would try to eat this shit and if one does then we must say he has elephantiasified balls because once the fire escapes the Butch T it will turn you into a blazing mass of protoplasm. And did we mention that you will cry like a bitch as you melt to cult status...and that your grave will be marked with a memorial having a Butch T over two massive concrete balls.

We found this chilli to be the most awesome of all...so it deserved another pic!!

[Tech Tips] Dirt 3 'Profile Save' Error Fix

2011-06-05T02:16:00.001+05:00

DiRT3 has been out for more than a week now. It has been getting positive ratings all over the internet and racing fans and avid gamers want to get a taste of it.

But as it pans out there has been somewhat of a glitch as soon as you start DiRT3; even after you have logged into your Games for Windows Live (GFWL) account DiRT3 won't create a save profile for you and will give you an error that profile creation failed. Stop here!! You don't want to make any progress on the events when you can't save it because although the games runs along after this initial message but you can't save your progress unless and until a profile is availalbe.

There can be two reasons for this problem.

#1 You use Windows in a different language or have a user name in a language other than English.
I don't know why but Unicode characters in your Windows username somehow interfere with DiRT3 creating a 'Save Game' folder for you.
You can solve this problem by creating a Windows account with a name that is in English. I would suggest you copy and paste 'Dirt 3' (without the commas) into your username field. It would fix the problem.

#2 There is a problem with your crack.
A team/person called Netshow released a crack for DiRT3 before any of the respectable crackers like Reloaded or Skidrow could release a fix. And as it turns out the crack by Netshow has some problem with making the game creat a Profile for you.
To fix it it download the archive DiRT3_fix, use relegated007 as password and extract it in the game folder (C:\Program Files\Codemasters\Colin McRae DiRT 3 or a variant), replacing any existing files.
Now use dirt2.original to start the game and it will run fine.

I hope this helps. :)

The War without the Bloodshed

2011-03-27T12:48:00.005+05:00

The Indian subcontinent got partitioned in August 1947 and two nations ideologically polar opposites of one another came into existence on the world map - India and Pakistan.
From day one differences sprouted between the two on varying levels, may it be marking of the border or the division of resources, the two were never content with each others meager efforts for appeasement so much so that they fought three full fledged wars with each other with further bloodshed being narrowly averted on various occasions.
Come the late nineties, and both the countries had nuclear arsenal up their sleeves which lead to a certain Cold War between the two which exists to this date progressing and regressing from various degrees of animosity periodically. The two try to appear saccharine affront but behind the scenes the same sentiment of deep rooted hatred for one another springs up with far-right parties like Shiv Sena constantly adding fuel to the fire.
The advent of sophisticated weapons in the armory of these arch-rivals also to some extent helped maintain a balance of power between the two that lead to less instances of deteriorating diplomatic ties and the battlefield dragged itself from the plains of Punjab and the snow clad peaks of Kargil to the 22-yard, bare patch of cricket and the glistening AstroTurf of field hockey. War got confined to sporting arenas with the intensity still there as it became a matter of salvaging national pride rather than fighting for the ultimate regional superiority. Games between the two are not games anymore and have never been so, they are more like ruthless gladiator battles of the Colosseum, full of ferocity, vehemence, emotion and partisanship.

You see I am biased...there is no point going objective in an Indo-Pak encounter

The game of cricket is the most widely and wildly followed sport in the subcontinent. One can easily infer from this statement that cricket matches between India and Pakistan are no simple business...they are a multidimensional contest culminating into surprising levels of raw emotion so much so that patients suffering from heart and blood-pressure abnormalities in both countries are advised to stay away from these encounters.
These matches are fervently followed and the build-up is normally awe-aspiring which is, lately, compounded by the fact that India and Pakistan haven't played bilateral contests in the subcontinent after the relations between the two hit a new low in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Now the matches are even more closely followed with Masjids and Mandirs reverberating with prayers prior to every match.
One such match is scheduled to be played in Mohali, India on March 30th 2011 with stakes possibly higher than ever before - it is the semifinal of this year's cricket world cup!! Tournament organizers couldn't have asked for anything better.
The match is touted as the final before the final and the path to the anticipated match is littered with an amazing buildup; news bulletins spend half their time on presenting news pieces about the game, sports channels show the promos a zillion times a day, Facebook is dotted with nationalist statuses and DPs and mobile inboxes are inundated with patriotic SMSs. In short, this tie has captured the imagination of the Indians and Pakistanis alike an it lingers over the subcontinent as a dark storm cloud in a scorching summer - the difference being that after roaring along for a few hours it will drench only one of the two sides with the cold, soothing water of victory.

Stats and Trivia

Pakistan and India met in four WorldCup clashes prior to this one (1992, 1996, 1999 and 2003) with India standing victorious on all occasions.
From 1978-2009, the two teams competed in 119 ODIs with Pakistan winning 69 and India winning 46.
In the period of 2000-2010, the rivals faced off in 41 One Day Internationals with Pakistan again leading with 22 wins compared to India's 19.
In the 4 Day/Night matches played in India since 2004, Pakistan won 3 and lost 1.
Pakistan played India in PCA Stadium, Mohali on 2 occasions and won both times.
Sachin Tendulkar is yet to score a century on this Mohali wicket but averages the most among current Indian and Pakistani players in D/N matches at this ground - 69.50 runs per inning with a high score of 99.
The leading wicket taker in D/N matches at PCA, Mohali is Harbajhan Singh with 9 scalps but surprisingly so, save for Saqlain Mushtaq, the rest of the top 10 wicket takers are all fast bowlers.

The QuarterFinal Scenario

2011-03-20T22:25:00.002+05:00

So after today's game between the West Indies and India, the Quarterfinal stage of WC 2011 is all set to dazzle. Eight top teams from the two preliminary groups will be up against each other in scintillating clashes across the subcontinent. Lets have a look at a brief overview of these quarterfinal battles...

Quarterfinal #1 (C)
Wednesday 23rd March
Pakistan vs. The West Indies
Sher-e-Bangal Stadium, Mirpur, Bangladesh
Start Time: 13:30 PST, 14:00 IST, 14:30 BST, 08:30 GMT
Head to Head: (48), (64) (1975-2011) --- (16), (8) (2000-2011)
Prediction: 65% Pakistan, 35% West Indies, 0% Tie/No Result
Weather: Clear

Quarterfinal #2 (E)
Thursday 24th March
India vs. Australia
Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmadabad, India
Start Time: 14:00 PST, 14:30 IST, 15:00 BST, 09:00 GMT
Head to Head: (35), (61) (1975-2011) --- (13), (29) (2000-2011)
Prediction: 55% India, 45% Australia, 0% Tie/No Result
Weather: Clear

Quarterfinal #3 (D)
Friday 25th March
South Africa vs. New Zealand
Sher-e-Bangal Stadium, Mirpur, Bangladesh
Start Time: 13:30 PST, 14:00 IST, 14:30 BST, 08:30 GMT
Head to Head: (30), (17) (1975-2011) --- (19), (10) (2000-2011)
Prediction: 70% South Africa, 30% New Zealand, 0% Tie/No Result
Weather: Clear

Quarterfinal #4 (F)
Saturday 26th March
Sri Lanka vs. England
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Start Time: 14:00 PST, 14:30 IST, 15:00 BST, 09:00 GMT
Head to Head: (7), (8) (1983-2011) --- (6), (3) (2000-2011)
Prediction: 65% Sri Lanka, 30% England, 5% Tie/No Result
Weather: Cloudy, Scattered Showers

WorldCup Match Reviews (Part 6)

2011-03-19T23:40:00.003+05:00

PAKISTAN vs AUSTRALIA

The sparkling unbeaten streak of the Aussies at WorldCup was finally brought to an end by the team that last beat them at this grand stage, Pakistan. A superb all round display by the Greenshirts, barring a few blemishes, saw them down Australia in a colorful and nerve wrecking affair at the R Premadasa in Colombo. It was the first loss of Australia in 34 WorldCup games since they went down to the same opposition at Headingley, in the previous millennium. This victory means a lot to a capricious Pakistan side that has oscillating between both extremes in this WorldCup, being stupendously good on a day and miserable on another. This win will provide just the thrust and the momentum required by this Pakistan side going into the knockout stages, this victory will give them the believe that they have got what it takes to lift the glimmering, golden Cup...

Australia: 176/10 (46.4 overs) --- Brad Haddin 42, Michael Clarke 34 --- Umar Gul 3-30
Pakistan: 178/6 (41 overs) --- Asad Shafiq 46, Umar Akmal 44* --- Brett Lee 4-28

Match Rating: **********

Shot of the Match: Umar Akmal lifting a Johnson ball over mid-on for a one bounce four. Umar Akmal was trying breaking the shackles down at Colombo and this stroke was just another step towards it. Johnson was finding his lost rhythm and constantly bowling a nagging off-stump line from around the wicket. Umar Akmal played and missed a few but then came the flamboyance, he shuffled outside off stump, took a step towards the ball and smacked it over the mid-on fielder almost for a six as if it was a leg-stump half volley. Johnson was left dumbfounded.

Delivery of the Match: Australia had found a little opening as Brett Lee had removed YK, effectively ending the 53 run stand for the third wicket that threatened to make a meal of the chase. But still a load of work had to be done as Pakistan's middle order rock, Misbah-ul-Haq, made his way out and took guard. Lee steamed in with new vigor and bowled a perfect delivery to the veteran. It landed on good length outside off-stump, reared up and kissed the Misbah's bat through to the wicket-keeper. Lee was pumped up and followed through with his signature hill-jump. The contest had suddenly becoming alive.

Catch of the Match: After all of what we have seen from Kamran Akmal, the granite-hand wicketkeeper, it was refreshingly good to see him pouch a difficult take to dismiss Ponting. Hafeez had bowled a regulation off-spinner close to Ponting, but with the dismal run of form he is in, he went on to cut it. Mistake! A sharp deviation flew off his bat's top edge and Kamran did well to cling on to it, thanks to the webbing.

Runout of the Match: The only runout in the game was the disastrous mixup between Clarke and White just as they looked to steady the ship. Clarke clipped a bowl off his pads straight to Misbah-ul-Haq at backward square-leg and called for a single that wasn't there. White responded to the call but it proved to be a mistake as Misbah threw a perfect through to Kamran behind the stump who disturbed the woodwork with White well short of the popping crease.

Innings of the Match: Umar Akmal, Brad Haddin, Younis Khan and Micheal Clarke all played short innings that proved very valuable in the end but Asad Shafiq's calm 46 from 81 balls steals the accolades here. His perfectly paced innings is the quintessence of how one should bat when you have the deliveries on your side. A dose of his Buddha-like patience at the crease was the ultimate prescription to soothe the frayed nerves in the Pakistani dressing room. In short his innings was the anchor of Pakistan's run-chase that effectively helped the brittle Pakistani batting order evade another implosion.

Bowling Spell of the Match: The three-pronged Aussie pace attack which many consider to be the best in the tournament was at its agonizing worst, save for one man, Brett Lee. His fiery, gallant effort of 4-28 from 8 testing overs all but took the match away from Pakistan. The only thing he required was a back-up effort from his fellow pacemen, which they failed to provide, otherwise it would have been a match-winning spell of ruthless, Aussie-minded fast bowling.

Partnership of the Match: The 5th wicket stand between Umar Akmal and Asad Shafiq can be labelled as a match-winning partnership for this particular encounter. The Aussies had their tails up after removing Misbah and Younis from consecutive deliveries and were looking to push the initiative even further. In this scenario Umar Akmal sent them back to their initial position with scintillating, disdainful hitting, meanwhile finding good support in Shafiq who looked to give the strike back to the aggressive Akmal every chance he got.

Disappointment of the Match: The biased commentary by the grumpy Ian Chappel. Here are some excerpts.
Whining after Afridi castled Steve Smith "I don't like Afridi's celebration for a couple of reasons. First, he hasn't done much to get the wicket, the batsman has helped me. Second, I don't think it is good with his team-mates, he just stands there in the middle of the pitch with his arms raised."
Showing how much of a sore loser he is as the Pakistani team formed huddle after bowling out Australia for 176 "They should walk off and think about getting the target rather than congratulating themselves on a job half done. This is useless stuff."
Another reason to doubt his mental health and objective commentary as he could not stand the belligerent Umar Akmal tearing the Aussie bowling attack apart "I think the school in which Umar Akmal studied removed the page from the dictionary that had the word careful in it."
Now how many of you see this Aussie idiot fit for international events?

Though after the Match: How could Afridi be such a shrewd tactician?

The Match in Photos:

Combining the Quarter-Finalists

2011-03-18T21:32:00.002+05:00

Although it may be relatively premature to state how the Quarter-Finals in this WorldCup will shape up, considering the fact that we have some very important games left for this weekend but still lets just assume some possible results to these games and then have a peek at who will be up against whom in the quarters.

Scenario #1
18th March 2011
New Zealand beats Sri Lanka at Mumbai

19th March 2011
Bangladesh beats South Africa at Mirpur
Australia beats Pakistan at Colombo

20th March 2011
The West Indies beat India at Chennai

With these results Group A will take this shape....................................................................................

Australia 11 points
New Zealand 10 points
Pakistan 08 points
Sri Lanka 07 points

And Group B...

India 09 points
South Africa 08 points (Better NRR than Bangladesh)
Bangladesh 08 points
England 07 points

So the Quarter Final will be played between.....................................................................................

India vs. Sri Lanka at Mirpur
New Zealand vs. Bangladesh at Colombo
Pakistan vs. South Africa at Mirput
Australia vs. England at Ahmadabad

Scenario #2

18th March 2011
Sri Lanka beats New Zealand at Mumbai

19th March 2011
South Africa beats Bangladesh at Mirpur
Pakistan beats Australia at Colombo

20th March 2011
India beats The West Indies at Chennai

With these results Group A will look somewhat like this...

Pakistan 10 points
Sri Lanka 09 points (Better NRR than Aus)
Australia 09 points
New Zealand 08 points

And Group B...

South Africa 10 points
India 09 points
England 07 points
The West Indies 06 points (Better NRR than Bangladesh)
Bangladesh 06 points

So the Quarter Final combinations come out as...

Pakistan vs. The West Indies at Mirpur
Sri Lanka vs. England at Colombo
Australia vs. India at Ahmadabad
South Africa vs. New Zealand at Mirpur

World Cup Match Reviews (Part 4)

2011-03-09T00:37:00.001+05:00

PAKISTAN vs. NEW ZEALAND

Pakistan's WorldCup campaign was shaken to the very foundation when they suffered a heavy 110 run defeat at the hands of the Kiwis at the newly built MMI Stadium. Sloppy fielding, shoddy wicketkeeping, abysmal death bowling and a listless batting performance were a few reasons for Pakistan's downfall as the heroes of yesterday became the zeros of today...

New Zealand: 302/7 (50 overs) --- Ross Taylor 131*, Martin Guptill 57 --- Umar Gul 3-32
Pakistan: 192/10 (41.4 overs) --- Abdul Razzaq 62, Umar Akmal 38 --- Tim Southee 3-25

Match Rating: **********

Shot of the Match: Taylor's down-on-one-knee six off Razzaq. It was a breath-taking sight; Taylor giving Razzaq a taste of his own medicine. Eerily comfortable with Razzaq's medium pace, Taylor moved around his crease and coerced Razzaq into shifting his line wider of off-stump and once he was sure that Razzaq has taken the bait he shuffled across his stumps, a little shy of the wide mark, got down on his knee and hoisted the full bowl from Razzaq high above the mid-wicket boundary.

Delivery of the Match: Pakistan had both their openers back in the hut now as Pakistan's go-to-man-number-two Younis Khan was taking his guard intently. In comes Kyle Mills - ball one swings away, defended, bowl two swings away, defended. Then comes the touch of genius as Mills lands his third bowl slightly fuller, the seam perfectly presented as Younis shapes up to defend this one again but wait...instead of moving away, this one comes in, creeps through the gap between the bat and pad and smacks into the base of the off-stump, sending it cart-wheeling.

Catch of the Match: Kamran Akmal had a horrendous match. He had dropped the centurion, Taylor, twice at 0 & 8, spilled a Styris nick and was generally very erratic behind the stumps. The only thing that could apparently save his axing was a solid innings with the bat but he came out with no such thing in his mind; playing rash shots and surviving run-out and catch scares before sending down a low catch to Taylor at first slip, hoping against hope that he will return his earlier favors, but not to be, as he took the catch cleanly just inches off the ground.

Innings of the Match: A pretty easy one as there are not many contenders after Ross Taylor's hurricane 131 off 124 balls. He had a real slow and shaky start but thanks to the ineptness of Kamran behind the stumps he was able to stay at the crease, meanwhile making the most of the opportunities Pakistan's abysmal death bowling bestowed on him. He smashed 7 sixes and 8 fours in a sparkling knock that turned the game on its head as New Zealand unbelievingly pilled up a mammoth score they never were to achieve with the start they got.

Bowling Spell of the Match: The only thing a Pakistani is left to remember from this game is a stupendous spell from Pakistan's pace spearhead, Umar Gul. He kept hitting hood lengths at pace and got some good movement from the new ball before coming back again during the later stages of the game and reversing the ball beautifully. His ten overs went for just 32 runs, add to it three important wickets and you are left with the only bowling effort of substance from the entire armada of Pakistani bowlers.

Partnership of the Match: Once again New Zealand take the honors here as the Ross Taylor-Jacob Oram partnership for the 7th comes out on top. The two effectively smacked Pakistan right out of the game as they milked 85 runs from the 3.4 overs they stayed together at the crease at a whopping 23.2 rpo, blitzing Pakistan's super poor death bowling frequently out of the Pakallele for the security guards to fetch. In short, this was the partnership that helped the Kiwis to a target they never looked like achieving during the first 45 overs of their innings.

Disappointment of the Match: Pakistani bowlers' horrid bowling effort at the end of the Kiwi innings is a real concern for both the team and the fans. New Zealand made off with a hundred runs from the last five overs of their innings and if the Pakistnai bowlers continue to offer juicy full tosses and dish up sweet half volleys to hard-hitters at the death then in ka khuda he hafiz.

Though after the Match: Why can't we find a replacement for the a**hole Kamran Akmal?

The Match in Photos:

WorldCup Match Reviews (Part 2)

2011-02-27T02:03:00.003+05:00

PAKISTAN vs. SRI LANKA

The WorldCup had life breathed in it today; courtesy a scintillating and nerve-wrecking game between the two subcontinental cricket giants, Sri lanka and Pakistan. The game can deservingly be labeled as the 'match-of-the-tournament', at least so far as it had got everything that makes up a classic ODI encounter - speedy starts, interesting middle overs, moments of sheer brilliance and a close finish.

Pakistan: 277/7 (50 overs) --- Misbah-ul-Haq 83*, Younis Khan 72 --- Rangna Herath 2-46
Sri Lanka: 266/9 (50 overs) --- Chamara Silva 57, Kumara Sangakara 49 --- Shahid Afridi 4-36

Match Rating: **********

Shot of the Match: Hafeez's down-on-one-knee six off Kulasekra. It was an exquisite, wristy shot as Hafeez trusted the strength of Kulasekra - inswingers, and played it superbly just in front of the square leg region and into the stands. It was high and handsome, literally.

Delivery of the Match: The match was delicately poised as the two star-performers for the Lankans, Sanga and Mahela, were trying to snatch the advantage. In comes Akhter, limping and sweating, after a short respite from his opening spell. No one gives a thought to him, after all, he is well past his prime. But what he came up with is an absolute beauty of an off-cutter to send Mahela packing. It wasn't at all slow as it snaked in through Mahela's defenses and pegged back the middle stump. Suddenly, the Rawalpindi Express of '99 steamed across the Premadasa.

Catch of the Match: There was a lot of great ground fielding on display today, coupled with a few botched up fielding attempts and catches but a spectacular catch was missing. However, comparatively speaking, Umar Akmal's pouching at long-on to dismiss Kulasekara was the most difficult catch of the match. He had to run backwards with the bowl and grab it past his head, meanwhile, evading the boundary skirting.

Runout of the Match: There was only a single runout in the game and it was utter comedy. Hafeez played a sweep shot straight to Herath at fine leg and had no idea that Kamran Akmal was charging in to his end for a single. He didn't move as Herath threw to Sanga and Sanga in turn threw a wayward throw over the head of the bowler, Murlitharan. Kamran was moving towards the pavilion as Hafeez had a wild idea that he could make it to the other end before the bails were dislodged there, but had to give up the hope as Jaywardene had the presence of mind to flick an easy throw at the bowler's end, effectively putting an end to the drama.

Innings of the Match: Misbah-ul-Haq has come to this WorldCup with a purpose, knowing that this might be the only WorldCup he plays for his country an he gave a glimpse of his stacks of experience and sense of purpose in his tranquil-until-the-end innings of 83* from 91 deliveries as he, along with Younis Khan placed Pakistan's innings right on track. He milked singles and doubles until the very end when a barrage of boundaries saw Pakistan to a competitive total after a poor batting powerplay. It is a pity that a guy like him is yet to notch up an ODI hundred.

Bowling Spell of the Match: Once again Shahid Afridi steals the show with a masterful and doubtlessly match-winning spell of 4-36 from his quota of overs which choked the runs as well as gave crucial breakthroughs. His lengths and lines were superb throughout the spell as he stunned the packed house at the Premadasa and the Sri Lankan team on four crucial junctures in the game.

Partnership of the Match: Not many contenders here as the 108-run 4th wicket stand between Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq comes out as a winner. The old heads of the Pakistani camp came together to steer Pakistan's swaying ship out of troubled waters with innovation, deftness and audacity. The two saw Pakistan through the crucial middle overs with no further damage, meanwhile, keeping the scoreboard ticking with the minimum of risk at just under a run-a-ball.

Disappointment of the Match: The abysmal fielding performance put up by Pakistan near the end. Despite being above average in most of the match, Pakistan fieldsmen dropped their nerve as the game bacame a bit tense. Kamran Akmal gave Kumara Sangakara two lives in the shape of missed stumpings, Abdur Rehman dropped a sitter of a catch which shook Chamara Silva out of his slumber as he threatened to take the game away from the Green Shirts, Ahmad Shahzad made a mess of a relay throw to Umar Akmal and not to mention the many missed runout chances. Pakistan really has to up their fielding standards for crunch games as sometimes a messed-up catch is all that draws the margin between victory and defeat.

Though after the Match: What good is the UDRS without a Snicko and a Hot-Spot camera?

The Match in Photos:

The Game of Group A?

2011-02-25T20:35:00.000+05:00

Pakistan and Sri Lanka are a pair of less celebrated rivals in the game of cricket but when the two come out onto the field, there is a certain electrification to the atmosphere that is unique only to a Pakistan vs. Sri Lanka game.

Many label Saturday’s encounter as the ‘The Game of Group A’, partly because of the fact that these teams are very accustomed to each other and the conditions and are on level terms in the recent past; of the 16 ODIs played between these two since 2006, each side have won 8.

Pakistan can be labeled as Sri Lanka’s true nemesis in terms of destroying their ‘unorthodox factor’; they are the ones that give the least wickets to their most successful bowler, Murlitharan, they are the ones that often take Malinga to the cleaners, they are the ones who, first, pulled the cloak of obscurity off the mystery-man Mendis, in short Pakistan thrives against the unorthodoxy of the Lankans but falls to their quotidian.

Of the 120 times the two faced since 1975, Pakistan won 70 of the encounters and Sri Lanka remained successful in 46 of them (1 was tie and 3 were No Result) and of the 6 times they met at the WorldCup, Pakistan stood victorious in all of them. However stats mean little when you are playing in front of your fervent home crowd and the noisy support can be something that has the potential to really extract the best out of you.

Meanwhile, R Premadasa, the intimidating stadium in the South is ready to be a battlefield; witness to the clash of the two subcontinental titans. Blood will not be spilled but the ferocity, alone, will be enough to keep your heart hammering against your chest. Sri Lanka is gearing up to it, Pakistan is bubbling with excitement and one can only hope that the game is worth the hype.

WorldCup Match Reviews

2011-02-24T16:54:00.001+05:00

PAKISTAN vs KENYA

The beautiful Mahinda Rajpaksa stadium was the starting point of Pakistan's 2011 WC journey with a match against the lowly Kenya and barring a few hiccups early-on it came out as a one-sided affair.

Pakistan: 317/7 (50 overs) --- Umar Akmal 71, Misbah-ul-Haq 65 --- TM Odoyo 3-41
Kenya: 112/10 (33.1 overs) --- CO Obuya 47, SR Waters 17 --- Shahid Afridi 5-16

Match Rating: **********

Shot of the Match: Misbah-ul-Haq's towering, straight six off Tikolo to open up his account. It really was something special because the boundaries at the MRICS are fairly big, with the distance down to the straight boundary a shade above 90 meters.

Catch of the Match: Without doubt, Seren Waters' blinder at midwicket. Hafeez was trying to break the shackles after a sluggish start and in doing so clipped a freebie off his pads to the leg-side only slightly aerially but it was enough for the electric Waters to get a hand on as he dived to his left. He juggled the take when he made contact with the ground but in the end was successful in clinging on to it.

Runout of the Match: Umar Akmal's effort to send Waters packing just as he was beginning to settle. It was all about anticipation as Waters had stolen a slightly similar single the previous over but this time around as he dabbed to the short mid-on region, the speedy Umar was up to the challenge and flashed across to grab the ball and hit the stumps with a neat under-arm as Waters struggled yards from the popping crease.

Innings of the Match: Umar Akmal's blistering 71-off-52 as he took the Kenyan bowlers to the cleaners, especially in the Powerplay overs as, largely through his contributions, Pakistan plundered 70 runs from it. Negating the difficulties he faced early on in finding the boundaries, he looked much like the Umar Akmal we know, flamboyant, graceful and innovative.

Bowling Spell of the Match: Not many contenders here as Shahid Afridi steals the accolades with his masterful spell of 5-16 from 8 overs which cut through the Kenyan resistance like warm knife through butter. A bamboozling array of quicker ones, googlies and sliders proved too much for the fragile Kenyan batting lineup to take. These were also the best bowling figures for a captain in WorldCup matches.

Partnership of the Match: The 118-run stand between Misbah and Umar was by far the biggest spike on the partnerships' graph for the game. Add to it the fact that it came at a more-then-healthy 8.96 rpo and you don't need to look any further for partnership of the match. It really was the propulsion that Pakistan required to get past 300 after the stuttering start to their innings. This partnership was also the biggest 5th-wicket stand for Pakistan at WorldCups.

Disappointment of the Match: The sheer amount of extras; 46 of them with a record number of wides (36). I think the Kenyan bowlers really have to really work on their discipline; there were a lot of instances when the bowler sprayed down the legside for 5-wides, even the only hattrick bowl of the match!

Though after the Match: Why the hell did Afghanistan didn't qualify if the likes of Kenya did?

The Match in Photos:

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WorldCup Match Reviews will only cover matches involving Pakistan apart from the Quarters, Semis and the Finale.
Images (c) GettyImages and AFP.

Road to the WorldCup (Part 3)

2011-02-15T23:17:00.014+05:00

Another Bright Prospect for Pakistan??

Pakistan Cricket is known throughout the World for churning out raw talent onto grand stages and getting the best out of it. May it be the swashbuckling Inzi of '92 or the canny little Mohammad Aamer of '09.
Pakistan, especially, has a way of producing talented fast bowlers that no other country can parallel; the streets. With a minimal of effort, the nation gets the finest and speediest of mavericks that set any and every stage ablaze when they are on song.
A rising star among this newest crop of fast bowlers, consisting of the likes of the tainted-yet-talented Aamer and the belligerent Wahab, is the Matra (A town in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa) born left arm seamer Junaid Khan. He had been on the selector's radar for quiet some time with his impressive performances in First Class games. He claimed 167 scalps in the 35 matches he played with the his first class side, Abbotabad. That puts it to almost 4.7 wickets a match which is at par with Aamer's average of 4.3 (from 20 games). Well there is no way of comparing the 'reflection' of Wasim Akram [sic; commentators and cricket pundits] with a young guy who has yet to make his mark on the international stage but what I am trying to point out is that this guy here is of an aggressive mentality and would definitely be of great asset to our side's new ball attack amidst the absence of M. Aamer.
The selectors got this point, albeit a bit late, when they announced that Junaid was to replace the unfit (& useless) Sohail Tanvir just as the WC clock struck 11. It came as a surprise to all - here is this unheard-of cricketer who gets a chance to debut on the glittering stage of the cricket extravaganza with no prior practice apart from a bunch of domestic games. His selection news spread as wildfire among the online and 'offline' cricketing circles of Pakistan. His bowling videos got madly sought after. His Cricinfo profile got 2k+ likes in a week (more than that of Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhter and Younis Khan!!). He has got the cricket lovers in Pakistan crazy...but what for?
Well the closest I can get to answer this question is that the cricket lovers in Pakistan are desperately looking for a fast bowler to fill the gaping void left by the sudden departure of Aamer. He had such an uplifting levity to his character and such boyish charm that people loved watching the lad have a go at the best in business (Clarke, Ponting, Tendulkar and likes). He had also been such a talented, precocious player that at the tender age of 17, he looked a Wasim Akram reincarnate on the field. And thus his loss had left an average cricket-follower in Pakistan dumbfounded. In comes, Junaid Khan. Who? A left arm pacer. Talent? Full to the brim. Pace? Excellent. Atleast I got a feeling of déjà vu when I came to hear about him. To me he is to be and has to be capable of delivering Aamer-esque performances. And I bet that many Pakistan cricket followers won't differ with me here.

So now just analyze this talk of the town a bit...
But first lets have a look at him bowling in the recently concluded Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2010.

Action: Well as far as one can analyze from the videos an images...(after noticing the fact that his action is 99% like Wayne Parnell's; Click to Enlarge)

His elbow is prone to hyper-extension, much like Shoaib Akhter, which can be a problem because umpires and opposition batsmen can report him for chucking (albeit erroneously). But let me tell you people that it may look weird but it isn't chucking at all because chucking occurs when the elbow is bent when delivering the cricket ball but in Junaid's case it is just extended beyond its natural stopping point and not bent. To support my fact here, I have quoted Wiki...

In a recent report by scientists commissioned by the ICC under the watch of the former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding, it was shown that Pakistani bowler Shoaib Akhtar and Indian bowler R. P. Singh were seen to extend their elbow joints by a negative angle with respect to the upper arm. This phenomenon, also known as hyperextension, can give the illusion of throwing. However, in the report it was seen that R. P. Singh maintained this negative angle throughout his delivery stride, while Akhtar sometimes bowled a quicker delivery by flexing this hyperextension. The actions are not considered to be chucking as they are exacerbated by a congenital condition. The prevailing judgement is that as long as the hyperextension does not exceed 15 degrees while bowling it is permitted. - Wikipedia

His front knee gets bent in delivery stride, much like Wayne Parnell, which reduces the height he delivers the ball from and can curtail his effectiveness in extracting bounce.

Run-up is good and hurried.

He has a slightly side-on action with a quick turning and bending of the trunk which can put some stress on his back.

His right hands stops obscuring the ball a bit too early. This would bestow upon the batsmen precious time to read him beforehand.

Furthermore his right arm just stays bent during the delivery stride and doesn't complete a good circle which can greatly affect his pace because the revolution of the non-bowling arm can create a moment about the pelvic region that can speed up his bowling arm.

Pace: Well I predict it to be between 135-145 kph.
Movement: Well as far as I can see he can move the ball away from the right handers and get it in for the left handers, much like Aamer. But if he gets a bit closer to the wicket then he can have the added benefit of getting the ball into the right handers as well.

Well, thankfully, there is not a lot to worry about here because he will have legendary players like Waqar, Shoaib and Aaqib around to help him. All that remains in question is that will he live up to the monstrous expectations from him?

Road to WorldCup (Part 2)

2011-02-13T19:36:00.001+05:00

6 Reasons to Watch it...

The WorldCup is in Asia after nearly 15 years and WC matches in the subcontinent are known to be high-scoring and thrilling, thanks to the dead plasticine pitches we have here. Add to it the fervor and enthusiasm that Asian supporters bring with them in the stadiums and you have a recipe for a dazzling WorldCup.
The batting Powerplay. Yes it is the talk of the town because it is the first time that these restrictions would be applied in WC matches. So always remember to hold on to your seat, folks, whenever a batting Powerplay is underway because this is the point when, more often than not, the outcome of the match is decided. And yes, sometimes you will get a whole lot more than you deserve for your money and time.
The home teams are in superb nick. Sri Lanka have thrashed the Aussies down under, Pakistan have taken series against England and South Africa down to the wire (before winning an away series in New Zealand), Bangladesh is resurgent with a clean sweep of New Zealand and India, the highest ranked Asian side, is in after an exhilarating tour of South Africa. So people in the subcontinent, are you ready to take up fervent support for your side?
There is a lot of new, promising talent on show, talent that might have proved its mettle elsewhere but is yet to make its mark on the grandest stage of them all. Will the prodigy Umar Akmal make this WorldCup memorable for him and Pakistan? Will the bulky John Hastings do for Australia what Nathan Bracken did in 2007? Will the agile and ever-ready Martin Guptill continue his purple patch and light this WorldCup with his excellent strokeplay? Will the calmness and equanimity of Hashim Amla take South Africa to their first ever world cup finals? Will the talented Virat Kohli wash away the mark of unprofessionalism stamped upon him by his critics? Will the inscrutable (for most) Ajantha Mendis conjure his previous magic? Will the revitalizing Shakib Al-Hassan do what Bangladeshis have only dreamt of achieving? Will the masterful Coventry be able kick start the snoozing Zimbabweans? Will Darren Sammy utilize his all-round prowess to wave the West-Indian flag at its former, glorious position? All will become evident in this WorldCup.
At the same time many stars are at the twilight of their careers and this WorldCup might be the last stage they set on fire with their performances. Will the maverick Shoaib Akhter convert his long-standing dream of winning the WorldCup to reality? Will the surreptitious Mutiah Murlitharan have his last laugh in Sri Lankan colors after sealing the team's victory at Mumbai? Will the master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar torment bowlers right through to the final for one last time? Will the canny, bespectacled Daniel Vettori take his meek and struggling side right through to the Golden Cup? Will the pacy Brett Lee dazzle with his unplayable 160 kph screamers right till the curtain falls on Eden Gardens? Will the sage of South Africa, Kallis, engineer a remarkable, long-in-wait WorldCup victory with his calm demeanor and bucket-loads of experience? Follow this WorldCup to find out.
On a less serious note, just to see the sides in their new kits. A person gets bored with monotonousness and a change is always welcomed. :)

Road to the WorldCup (Part 1)

2011-02-13T18:22:00.000+05:00

The Schedule & Format

This World Cup has been subject to widespread criticism from the cricketing circles due to its length. It spans for 45 days with only groups, quarters, semis, and the final (no super Stages). But then again periods of respite are good for the players as they can overcome their niggles and set along afresh for the next match(es).

I personally believe that the World Cup has to have a pre-tournament knockout round for the minnows, the best should survive as spectators find nothing interesting in one sided matches featuring the lesser, uncompetitive teams. A fact to mention here is that each group has a healthy dose of the minnows; three in each - this unnecessarily lengthens the tournament and does nothing else.

ICC has returned to its 2003 WC policy of two big groups with four qualifiers from each. it is good because barring any hiccups, the top teams are almost guaranteed progression to the next stage.

Groups seem pretty even when you first look at them but it is not the case when you peer into the depths. Group A is by far the more easier because the top four teams in this group are number 1 (Australia), 3 (Sri Lanka), 6 (Pakistan) and 7 (New Zealand) on the ICC ODI Ratings. While in Group B the top four teams are number 2 (India), 4 (South Africa), 5 (England) and 8 (Bangladesh), add to it a topping of number 9 (West Indies) who are not minnows in any sort of way and number 10 (Ireland) who have shown in the 2007 WC what they are capable of. So you can see that it is difficult tor predict the fourth qualifier from Group B, it can be Bangladesh, West Indies or even Ireland! But in the case of Group A, negating any upsets, the front-runners are clear.

Now lets have a peek at the schedule for the World Cup 2011...

As you see, each team will play six matches in the initial, group stages. The top four teams from each group will advance to the quarters - playing for the the two semifinal berths. The two teams standing victorious in the semifinal clashes will march on into the Final at the Eden Gardens on April 2nd.
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The above images are screen-shots from Cricinfo's website and are their property. I just edited them.

Game In Focus (FIFA 2011)

2010-10-10T01:50:00.000+05:00

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Loving the FIFA Franchise? Then think again before buying this one...

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Rating: 7/10
Difficulty: Hard (Adjustable)
Learning Curve: 5-10 minutes.
Time Spent: 10-20 Hours
The Bottom Line: "Mixed Reactions"
Graphics: ***
Music: *****
Gameplay: ***
Replay Value: 95% (55% for Career Mode)
Developer: EA
Release: September, 2010

I really had a lot of expectations with FIFA '11 after playing FIFA '10 up till the day '11 broke into the market, and was one of the first to try it among my friends and consequently the most disappointed.

The developers have taken a very disastrous route. In a bid to make the game feel at par with realism, they have integrated some pretty useless and pathetic stuff.

Messi can be overcome by a brawny, unheard of defender and so can Kaka, skill takes the back seat in this installment, you gotta have body power to survive on the field, a thing that I think EA should reserve for their American Football line.

Every unknown club in the world has a superman deployed instead of a regulation keeper, saving the most unstoppable of shots, it really feels like you are shooting at a wall instead of a goal. And if this wasn't enough, the guys at EA's Soccer Sim department have tried their utmost to make our opposition's defense impregnable and ours, totally pervious, your CPU controlled defenders will behave like total noobs, no matter what the back of their shirt says.

Despite all the glitches and mediocre things '11 ships with, there are some appreciable alterations too. The menu has been revamped to good effect. The graphics are quite good but still not good enough as the crowds are still those sickening cardboard cutouts! and the Career Mode is quite playable.

I will really not recommend this game if you had been addicted to the FIFA series, but my recommendation won't matter to you all the same because of the fact that every conventional FIFA gamer gets the newest sequel and plays it for himself, no matter what the reviews say. This is the FIFA tradition...

Game in Focus (Mafia)

2010-10-05T18:10:00.001+05:00

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You won't rest until it ends...

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Rating: 10 /10
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Curve: 15 minutes.
Time Spent: 10-20 Hours
The Bottom Line: "Highly Addictive"
Graphics: ***1/2
Music: ******
Gameplay: *****
Replay Value: 70%
Developer: Illusion Softworks (Now 2K Czech)
Release: August, 2002

Ever wondered if the word 'masterpiece' could compliment a PC game...if yes then no need to wonder anymore...the manifestation is here...MAFIA...

Perfectly intriguing gameplay and a story line that can warrant box office hit; couple it with music of the highest quality and great environmental detail and you have a cult classic...

Mafia has so many positives that it will take a copious amount of time to list them all, apart from rare flaws in lip-syncing the game is picture perfect. The play area is highly detailed with a variety of gorgeous cars, interactive pedestrians and a good 'ol '30s American city. The breath-taking scenery of the countryside is a sight to behold, I loved driving there and wished every mission took place in that area.

The music of the game is, in my opinion, Oscar winning. The tracks are beautifully composed and capture the essence of the situation flawlessly.

The missions are fun to do and highly addictive, they leave you craving for more due to superb design and an absorbing and twisting story.

The cut scenes are aesthetically pleasing and it feels as if they are straight out of a blockbuster, especially the ending sequence, it gets etched in your memory.

In short it is a game that is not to be missed if you have any links with PC gaming, or for that matter 3rd Person Shooters and I promise that you won't be disappointed...and remember....Mafia II can wait but the original Mafia cannot...it, coupled with the Max Payne series, is a game that covers the whole spectrum of a third person action game...

Game in Focus (Family Feud 2010)

2010-09-26T13:37:00.003+05:00

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Good but not good enough...

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Rating: 5 /10
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Curve: 5 minutes.
Time Spent: 3-4 Hours
The Bottom Line: "..."
Graphics: *
Music: *
Gameplay: ***
Replay Value: 20%
Developer: Ludia Inc
Release: September, 2009

Just a time pass game you would like to switch to for around 15 to 20 minutes in the hours when you have nothing left to do.

To be precise it is not really a game that you would not rest until you have finished or end it in one go; it is highly monotonous for that, same recycled character models and music and you will have enough of it after a level or two despite the work developers have put in to make it appealing (i.e unlockable content and challenging families as you move up the ladder, not to mention the alterations you can make to your character).

Although you might like it if you are a fan of the tv show...because visually it is the best of the series.

The surveys are the strongest of its dimensions (it had to be :P), they can be funny and challenging at the same time; not to mention enlightening!

I'd say avoid if you are looking for some solid fun...but still if you have got a few bucks to spare then go for it all the same...

Game in Focus (Mafia II)

2010-09-26T03:25:00.003+05:00

First things first, in my new section Game in Focus, i'll be posting condensed reviews of hot games...

Note: The pattern is Gamespot.com type.

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A game that took a long time coming but was never really worth the wait...

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Rating: 7.5 /10

Difficulty: Easy

Learning Curve: 15 minutes.

Time Spent: 10-20 Hours

The Bottom Line: "Don't Believe the Hype"

Graphics: ****
Music: **
Gameplay: ***
Replay Value: 10%

Developer: 2K Czech

Release: August, 2010

The prospect of having a Mafia sequel, when I first heard the news, was drowning me out with utter bliss. I was in love (and still am) with the original Mafia and getting a second bite of it with 'considerable' improvements was heartening even to think of.

But when the game came out and I tried it, with heart beating at full pace, I was disappointed to say the least in fact disenchanted is the correct word. The game never really assimilated the essence of the original Mafia, the soundtrack is a let-down and so is the level design, not to mention the intricate story that has an unbridgeable chasm between itself and clear understanding.

The only positive thing about the game are the graphics. The texturing is vastly improved but still can be a bit substandard at places. The utilization of Phsx is also worth-mentioning making the game feels a lot more closer to life and believable...

The spineless missions are a few making the game short (thankfully) and the characters are also forgettable...compare it with the original Mafia...I bet (if you have played the org. one that is) that you still have the faces of Paulie and likes etched in your memory much to further pain.

I'd still recommend that you give it a try, just to respect the 9 years that the developers have put into god knows what...

Science Watch (September 2010)

2010-09-25T15:48:00.001+05:00

This week's top science stories...

2012...No! Add 6 billion years or just make it 2112!

The fate of our universe, or our planet at the least have always fascinated us, from ancient Mayans to today's Harvard graduates. Well according to research, at the most, we have six billion years until our planet gets swallowed up by the sun...yes swallowed! According to the reports, the sun will get bigger and brighter and 'puff up' to one million time its size (A Red Giant), swallowing Mercury, Venus and most probably our beloved Earth. Afterwards, as the Sun consumes the remnant hydrogen in its blistering core, it will shrink to become a White Dwarf.
But the realist President of the Royal Society of London, Sir Martin Rees, believes that considering all the stuff we have been doing of late, this well might be the last century of life on our planet. According to him we are in "self-destruct mode, causing havoc to our environment through global warming caused by reckless burning of fossil fuels, developing weapons of mass destruction, emergence and spread of new diseases and carrying out dangerous experiments that can create black holes that may gobble up the planet."
I believe all but that last shit. But we will look at it.

Creating Black Holes...artificially...
The RHIC (Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider) is a facility in Long Island, New York, where scientists have set up large tubes in which they collide subatomic particles close to the speed of light in an effort to know even simpler particles (like what makes up an electron?!).
So whats the big deal in two electrons colliding together in a 2.4 mile long isolated tube? Well, upon collision, a super dense matter is created with temperatures close to 1 Trillion degrees, yup! roughly 10,000 time the temperature of the mighty sun! These conditions are recreating the atmosphere after the Big Bang, think about it, when physics wasn't even worth a damn...

One of the consequences of such an experiment is thought to be a Black Hole, a place where matter becomes so dense that even light is sucked in and cannot escape! This is due to the super-strong gravitational pull they generate. So the point is that when the particle smasher whacks together a few electrons, the resulting matter might be dense enough to become a black hole, albeit a minute one (at around 10 picometers), that has an ability to hulkify as it eats surrounding matter to an extent that it would swallow the Earth and then turn to our Solar System to quell its hunger!
Thats a theory you guys! No nightmares intended...:-P

More Dinosaurs
Paleontologists discovered two horned dinosaur fossils in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, south of Utah. The dinosaurs are of a new species and related to the famous Triceratops.
The smaller creature is called Kosmoceratops. Kosmos is a Latin word meaning “ornate,” because of the dotted horns around the skull. Komoceratops is regarded as “the most garish headed dinosaur ever known.” It has 15 horns, which are found over the top of each eye, over the nose, at the tilt of each cheekbone and the rest are across the rear portion of the bony frill.
The other creature is bigger than the Komoceratops. It has a skull, which is about seven feet long, and named Utahceratops. Ceratops is from an ancient Greek word, which means “horned face.”
They sure look sexy...:-D

Pumping the Antibiotic Out
Iowa State University and the Ames Laboratory researchers have discovered the crystal structures of pumps that remove heavy metal toxins from bacteria, making them resistant to antibiotics.
Edward Yu and his colleagues purified and crystallized the membrane proteins that make up an efflux pump of E. coli bacteria. Then they used X-ray crystallography to compare the various structures, identify the differences and understand the mechanism that removes heavy-metal toxins from cells.
What those pumps do, Yu wrote, is "recognize and actively export these substances out of bacterial cells, thereby allowing the bugs to survive in extremely toxic conditions."
This is understood as one of the three mechanisms with which bacteria fight-and-down the antibiotics. The other two being enzymes that alter the medicine or degrade the 'biotic completely.

Sources:
http://www.internetbits.com/paleontologists-discover-new-dinosaurs-in-utah/53447/
http://sify.com/news/scientists-discover-pumps-that-allow-bacteria-to-resist-drugs-news-international-kjynaiafbee.html

Match Box (Look Who Blames...)

2010-09-25T00:27:00.003+05:00

Pakistan's tumultuous tour of England, fittingly, folded with another controversy as the English daily, Mail, accused Pakistani maverick, Shoaib Akhtar of ball tampering.
The article, published on 23rd September implicated Pakistan in another dispute as it contained clear pictures of Akhtar involved in the dodgy act.

Accepted! But where was all this hullabaloo when the seemingly innocuous Broad (yes Broad!) mirrored the acts shown above in this very year (against South Africa in January 2010).

and when in the same series James Anderson repeated the felony committed by Broad...

The biased stance of the British media becomes even more evident when we come across this TV grab from the very same match in which Shoaib handled the ball in blatant disregard of the rules.

Well, as we can see, Bresnan here was clearly working his nails on the seam, an act that can aid the ball in reverse swing.
Finally, albeit at the wrong time, we state as to what is ball tampering...

Ball Tampering is an action in which a fielder or bowler illegally alters the condition of the cricket ball. Under Law 42, subsection 3 of the Laws of Cricket, the ball may be polished without the use of an artificial substance, may be dried with a towel if it is wet, and have mud removed from it under supervision; all other actions which alter the condition of the ball are illegal. These are usually taken to include rubbing the ball on the ground, scuffing with a fingernail or other sharp object (like spiked boots), or tampering with the seam of the ball in any other way.

Now the judgement is up to you....do you think that the British media is impartial when it comes to the violation of cricket laws? A flag-bearer of fair cricket when anyone else has done the violation and becoming meekly silent when their very own stars are under scrutiny or just completely deny the news in the latter case.

Match Box (A victory that took 15 years in the making)

2010-07-30T12:51:00.005+05:00

Scenario; Pakistan is taking on Australia in a test match away from home. What happens? What comes to your mind? Yup, "OMG! Another loss?!"...Such is the dominance of Australia over Pakistan in recent times that almost every Pakistani cricket fan links Australia to being unbeatable, especially when we are not playing on the dead plasticine pitches of Pakistan.

So here goes...you switch on the TV and hear the news channels bustling about a rare victory, you sit bolt upright "No, It cannot be...", you stammer. Eyes wide open. You pinch yourself to make sure it is not a dream and it isn't!!! Pakistan have finally overcome the fifteen year old jinx of not winning a test match away or at home against the mighty Aussies!!! July the 24th 2010 remember the date!!

And Ah! If you had been one of those ardent supporter of the Pakistani team like me, you should have been sitting before th TV screen an hour before the match was scheduled to begin! Alas, you never witness such spectacles everyday [the last time Pakistan beat the Aussies in a test match was when I was three =P]. So you have a bag of popcorns at hand, ready to relish a distinguished battle being won! But being a Pakistani cricket team fan is a pain of its own, requiring just 40 runs with 7 wickets in the bank you assume quite wrongly that it would be an easy win...

The two overnight batsmen walk in, Azhar Ali and Umar Akmal..apparently oozing with confidence..

First ball, full toss, whacked for four, you toss a handful of popcorns into your mouth. "This gonna be a piece of cake", you say to anyone within earshot and you haven't taken down the first batch of popcorns and pop goes Azhar Ali back to the hut. Your mouth hangs open in apparent dispair, half-chewed popcorns streaming down your chin and into your lap..."Oh God! Not again!!", you mutter inaudibly.

And out comes the husband of Sania Mirza...associating this guy with cricket is a shame,you remember a news piece, and you call out disgustfully "Pagal kahee ka, team meeting chor ke Sania ko London dekhata phrta hai!!". You sigh and settle in again. Block: Block: Swing and a miss: Block: Appeal: Left Alone: Block. You start getting nervy and you demand from the on-screen Umar Akmal "yar chake choke laga! ye kia khel rha hai?" And even before your painful plea is fully out of your mouth...Umar Akmal is snared by Hilfenhaus...and the ghost of the Sydney test suddenly becomes active in the core of your poor little heart... adrenaline starts rampaging through your blood stream...your heart starts beating like a sledgehammer against your heaving chest!

You go up with every lbw appeal, every swing-and-miss and every ball that just about kisses the blade through to the keeper or the slip squadron. Finally some runs...as Malik clips a ball off his pads...and then....EDGES but it drops just wide of the diving Clarke at 3rd slips...you get all the more nervy..."Ai allah madad farmana!!"...

Then Malik in the next over tried all his very best to lob the ball to North at short extra-cover and finally succeeds in doing so off the ultimate ball of the over, you get crude, abuses start spewing out of your mouth, popcorns rain down to the carpeted floor as you shake and writhe with a mixture of anger and agony.

In walks Aamer...you see his confident face and suddenly you get a bit relieved...like after balm is applied on chapped lips..."He scored 70-odd in that Kiwi match", you whisper huskily to the sibling near you,"He can bat!"...he gets beaten first up...you shiver...then solidly defends the next few balls and some of your faith in him returns...

Four! Kamran drives, the spectators roar...you nearly fall of your seat..."Alhamdullilah", you call in your heart. And then all of a sudden you realize that Kamran is Pakistan's only hope and you start phooking kalam at the on-screen Akmal in a frenzy...

Well your phooking had some good effect on Akmal who cracks two fours in Hilfenhaus's next over...bringing Pakistan closer...you start to look like an archetype of utter bliss...

And oh no! Kamran slashes at a wide delivery and Hussey pouches it at gully....your hearts sinks, your eyes become watery and you cry out Noooooo--- but your cry is interrupted midway as the truth dawns upon you...the 3rd Umpire has been called in...Kamran doesn't look happy...He and you staunchly believe that it hasn't carried....and you start a gardan of "Nhe hua, Nhee hua, Nhee hua!"...the TV grabs are all hazy and you pray that the benefit goes to the batsman and it does! You roar as the rafters are brought down by the Pakistani contingent at Headingley!!!

Aamer vs Hilfenhaus..."Please ye over kisi tarah nikal le", you call out! And oh! Aamer has edged this one past third slip for Four!!!! HOHOOOOOOO you are just a run away now...bouncers follow but it doesn't matter...we have won or have we...

In the next over Akmal goes after a Johnson half volley only to have a thick edge and this time it is a clean take by a diving Hussey who looks toward Akmal and the Umpire with both the question and the answer in his eyes...and you cannot believe it...so near yet so far away...here comes Gul....

The tension builds up, Johnson steams in, bowls the effort bowl, and it is his lackluster wide half volley, Gul goes after it, connects, it stays in the air but beyond the diving short cover and to the boundary...Gul leaps, you leap...."Yesss---", you scream in mid-air, but before you have hit the ground you pass into a coma...

Social Eye [USA the real enemy?]

2010-07-30T11:51:00.001+05:00

A majority of Pakistanis view the United States as an enemy, oppose the US-led war in Afghanistan and are less concerned about the Taliban and Al-Qaeda than a year ago, a Pew Research poll said Thursday.

Despite billions of dollars in economic and military aid received from Washington, the United States' image in Pakistan was the lowest among the 22 nations included in the 2010 Pew Global Attitudes Survey of 2,000 Pakistanis taken between April 13-28.

Fifty-nine percent of the respondents described the United States an enemy, with 17 percent having a favorable view and only 11 percent considering it a partner, the poll said.

Only eight percent trusted US President Barack Obama to do the right thing in world affairs, the lowest rating of the 22-nation survey, and only 20 percent had a favorable view of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, down from 64 percent two years ago.

Most Pakistanis also oppose US involvement in neighboring Afghanistan, with 65 percent saying US and NATO troops should be withdrawn as soon as possible, and relatively few believe the Taliban and Al-Qaeda pose a serious threat to their country.

Only 25 percent thought it would be bad for Pakistan if the Taliban were to again take over Afghanistan, while 18 percent thought it would be a good thing and 57 percent said it did not matter or had no opinion.

The respondents were less concerned about either group getting the upper hand in Pakistan: the Taliban was rated as a serious threat by 54 percent, against 73 percent last year, and Al-Qaeda's threat perception fell to 38 percent, from 61 percent.

Nevertheless, Pew noted, both groups still had an overall negative image in Pakistan with the Taliban getting a 65 percent unfavorable rating and Al-Qaeda 53 percent.

When asked which was the bigger threat, Taliban, Al-Qaeda or India, 53 percent chose neighboring India over 23 percent for the Taliban and only three percent for Al-Qaeda.

Despite Washington's poor rating, most Pakistanis (64 percent) believe it is important to improve relations with their powerful ally, up from 53 percent last year, Pew Research said.

And about their own country, 84 percent of the Pakistanis surveyed by Pew were dissatisfied with the state of their nation; only 14 percent were satisfied.

So as far as drawing a conclusion is concerned, USA is seen far from being an ally of Pakistan, the general public, in reality abhors the States and its constant nose-poking in their country's matters. Not to mention the punctuating Do More(s)!. The USA's has tarnished its image in the eyes of a conventional Pakistani, probably to an unrepairable state, so much so that the terrorists get the back seat in the aforementioned poll results.

Moreover the current position of Pakistan is not a likable one, power-cuts, climbing inflation rates, increased expenditure on services and the dark cloud of terrorism that looms over every Pakistani. Therefore understandably, a normal person won't like his/her government when the living conditions take such a shape, couple it with the reports of corruption, the tug-of-war between the judiciary and the government and the general insensitivity of the politicians to their peoples' woes and you have a recipe for a loathsome government.

Match Box [Pakistan vs. England First Test]

2010-07-25T19:56:00.003+05:00

MATCH INFO CENTRAL >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Match: Pakistan vs. England, nPower Test Series 2010.
Date: July 29, 2010 - August 2, 2010
Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham [Also Known as Trent Bridge Ground (TBG)]
Type: International Test Match
Series-at-a-Glance: The four match series will initiate from this match.
Time: 03:00 pm PST, 11:00 am local, 10:00 am GMT, 03:30 IST, 1:00 pm MEST
Live Telecasters: CricOne, Geo Super, Super Sport 2, Star Cricket, Sky Sports HD, Sky Sports 1
Live Scores: Cricinfo, CricBuzz, Cricket365
Live Streaming: WebCric CricPK, HQLive
Highlights: MyCricketHighlights, Cricket-Online
Radio Coverage: City FM 93
Live Views: cricket@npower.co.uk

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

THE GROUND

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Established in 1899 as a ground to fulfill the needs of the Nottinghmashire Cricket County and the Notts Football Club. In the early 20th century though the two home teams took their own different routes and it became solely a cricket ground. In 2008 the ground mangement installed floodlights and it started hosting day and night fixtures as well.

Australia vs. England, limited overs series, Trent Bridge, 2009.

Trent Bridge wicket is fast and pacy and the bowl comes to bat very nicely. The outfield is also quick and lush. The seam and swing movement in Nottingham is pretty limited and you don't see any drastic changes in it unless moisture and overcast conditions fulfill their roles.

The highest total put up by any team here is 658/8 [England against Australia, 1938] and the lowest score is 88/10 [South Africa against England, 1960].

Radcliffe Road End at Trent Bridge

As far as my opinion is concerned, win the toss, bat first, put up a good score of around 300-400 and you will have a good chance of winning the game.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

TEAM PERFORMANCES

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Pakistan: Pakistan have not one a game here. Of the three matches they played at this ground, they lost two and have drawn one.

England: England have played 54 fixtures here and winning 17of them and drawing a further 21 of them. Their win percentage at the Premadas statium is 31.48.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

WEATHER FORECAST

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Day 1: Partly Cloudy.

Day 2: Partly Cloudy

Day 3: Mostly Cloudy.

Day 4: Partly Cloudy.

Day 5: Party Cloudy.

Precipitation Chances remains 10% throughout.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

SQUADS

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Pakistan: Salman Butt (c), Kamran Akmal (vc/wk), Umar Akmal (rhb), Umar Amin (lhb), Azhar Ali (rhb), Yasir Hameed (rhb), Shoaib Malik (rhb), Imran Farhat (lhb), Zulqernain Haider (wk), Tanvir Ahmad (rfm), Mohammad Asif (rfm), Umar Gul (rfm), Wahab Riaz (lfm), Mohammad Aamer (lfm), Danish Kanera (lbb), Saeed Ajmal (obb).

England: Andrew Strauss (c), Alastair Cook (lhb), Jonathan Trott (rhb), Paul Collingwood (all), Eoin Morgan (rhb), Matt Prior (wk), Kevin Pietersen (rhb), Steven Finn (rfm), Stuart Broad (rfm), Ajmal Shahzad (rfm) [injured], James Andersen (rfm), Graeme Swann (obb), Tim Bresnan (rfm).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Stats Source: www.cricinfo.com
Weather Forecast: Weather.com
Photos: WikiCommons.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Head---to---Head [Pakistan vs. England Test Series]

2010-07-25T16:03:00.002+05:00

Both Captains of their respective sides and both top-class left-handed openers although after becoming the captain of his side Strauss has been in sublime touch and has been very difficult to see the back of. On the other hand Butt will try to take the confidence from the win against Australia into this series and will try to keep up his performance.
Andrew Strauss avges. 43.91
Salman Butt avges. 32.64
Advantage England

Both are gifted and talented left-hand openers but technque-wise Cook and Farhat are miles apart. Cook has been the firt choice opener for England since the retirement of Marcus Trescothick and so far have seen no challengers. Farhat has also been the automatic choice for opening slot for Paksitan in recent time but has yet to find consistency.
Alastair Cook avges. 44.97
Imran Farhat avges. 33.98
Advantage England

Both batsmen play at a very crucial and pivotal position in the game, one-down, although experience and the amount of runs holds them apart but patience and compact technique is a common between the two...
Jonathan Trott avges. 50.06
Azhar Ali avges. 34.75
Advantage England

One a sublime cricketer and the other a new arrival in the international arena, comparison doesn't look fair, but still....
Kevin Pietersen avges. 49.20
Umar Amin avges. 14.75
Advantage England

Both players oozing with talent and are the anchor-points of their respective sides, atleast in the limited format of the game. But they are yet to clearly prove their skills in the classic format. Umar Akmal didn't have a very good test series against the Aussies and will be looking to set it straight this time, Morgan on the other hand will be trying to cement his role in the side, keeping in view that Bell's untimely injury has provided him with a great oppertunity.
Eoin Morgan avges. 40.06
Umar Akmal avges. 39.62
Considering that Morgan is yet to claim an international test fifty, let alone hundred...
Advantage Pakistan

Both players are around for a very long time but the Englishman is a clear winner in batting prowess, another factor that tells them apart is the Pakistani's controversial career and difficulty in performing with the bat in recent past...the Blocker in Chief clearly comes out the winner here...
Paul Collingwood avges. 43.62
Shoaib Malik avges. 35.29
Advantage England

Both wicket-keepers are outrageously gifted when it comes to glove-work but the consistency in their batting separates them, Akmal may have been fumbling with the gloves and throwing his wicket away at crucial stages, but then still he is the first choice wicketkeeper for Pakistan. Conversely, Prior has faced a lot of competition around him which has helped him to mature as one fo the finest wicketkeeper-batsman in the test format of the game.
Matt Prior avges. 40.53
Kamran Akmal avges. 32.80
Advantage England

Both players are right-arm offbreak bowlers but Ajmal has an additional nick in his armoury, the lethal doosra, that can bamboozle anyone and everyone at a given time. Swann on the other hand owes his success to his adeptness at using the drift, that comes about due to his quick and angled action, to his advantage. And although Ajmal has played 1/4th the tests Swann has played but he still comes out the winner due to his possession of the wrong 'un despite Swann being particularly handy with the bat.
Graeme Swann's S/R: 60.1
Saeed Ajmal's S/R: 90.2
Advantage Pakistan

Both are eerily similar in a way, batting with the left hand and throwing seemingly gentle medium pacers with the right. But consistency and accuracy tell them apart. Asif has an envious control over line and length, most often residing in the corridor of uncertainty, apart from him being Pakistan's premier test bowler for the last year or so and the world number two. On the other hand Broad has been consistently inconsistent despite having a bucket-full of talent but when he ignites he can be a match winner.
Stuart Broad's S/R: 67.3
Mohammad Asif's S/R: 46.3
Advantage Pakistan

Both players are raw in the international arena but have turned loads of heads during their short careers so far. One is a lanky and towering 6ft 7in fast bowler and the other is dubbed as the mirror image of the great Wasim Akram. Strike rate and averages certainly swing the balance in favour of Finn but it should be noted that his performances have come against a lowly Bangladesh but Aamer has proven his guile from the likes Ponting and Vettori. Although Finn's extra bounce will sure test the best of the best but at the moment current performances favour Aamer.
Steven Finn's S/R: 37.2
Mohammad Aamer's S/R: 64.6
Advantage Pakistan

Both are aggressive bowlers but when it comes to slingy and strappy swing Anderson is a clear winner. Debuting in 2002 he has so far been quite impressive with the new ball and when conditions favour he can be one nerve-wrecking bowler. Gul on the other hand relies more on seam movement and reverse swing later on and would be itching to remove that 'limited overs' tag he has been wearing for the last few years. While Anderson will sure prove a handful for the rickety batting line up of Pakistan.
James Anderson's S/R: 60.2
Umar Gul's S/R: 57.6
Advantage England

So the final score-line reads ENGLAND 7 - 4 PAKISTAN.

Relegated'z Rankings [10 Inventors who got Killed by their own Inventions]

2010-07-10T17:32:00.004+05:00

Inventors are thought of as people who think out-of-the-box and are unbelievingly creative and a genius (which they are possibly not). But people sometimes neglect the fact that before these 'inventions' are up for grabs, they need to be tested and often the 'testers' are the inventors themselves as their crazy ideas are laughed off by all others or they haven't got the money of Edison or Bell.
Here I am presenting a list of inventors who got screwed up by their own inventions or discoveries...

10. The Arab who though he could Fly
Ismail ibn Hammad al-Jawhari was a Muslim 'scholar' from Farab, Kazakhstan who had an insane idea that he could fly with a pair of wooden wings and a bamboo rope. In the summer of 1010 A.D he took off from a mosque in Nijabur and flew for a while before plummeting down to his death.

9. The Radiologist who 'loved' Radiation
Marie Curie, the French chemist and physicist, whose name comes to mind upon the very mentioning of radioactivity. She received Nobel prizes and widespread acclaim for her works on radiation, including the discovery of two new elements, namely, polonium and radium.
She lived 38 frikkin' years of her life alongside ionizing radiation with no sort of protection at all, seeing it, todays radiologist might be considered a shame to the field of radiology,,,they look like half ton robots! Well she used to put test-tubes of radium in her pockets (yes in her pockets!), remarking in her diary about the eerie light they gave in the dark! To be precise, she had radiation all over her...the French authorities have labeled her diary, her paperwork and even her cookbook 'too hot to handle'.
Due to this prolonged exposure to ionizing radiation, she succumbed to aplastic anaemia (a disease in which your bone-marrow doesn't produce sufficient levels of red blood cells) in 1934.

8. Flying Taxis
Michael Dacre, was a British entrepreneur who, according to his friends, had a wealth of aviation experience. He invented a jet-pod that would provide fast and cheap air travel service between major cities and would cruise at top speeds of 310 mph. The aerodynamic design of the 'pod allowed take-off from 400-feet runways, well to be honest it might have been a nice addition to the skies!
Sadly enough, Dacre died in a test-flight of his invention in Malaysia in August 2009. The 'pod erupted in mid-flight and Dacre was killed before his invention kissed the dust.

7. "You kicked me?!!"
William Bullock, a New Yorker, who revolutionized the printing industry by inventing the web rotary press in 1862 which could print 30,000 sheets an hour, compared with the previously used form of printing which barely edged past a thousand sheets.
In 1867, while making final adjustments for his printing press that was to be installed for the Philadelphia Public Ledger, he tried to kick a driving belt on to a pulley, effectively doing the job and crushing his, now trapped, leg in the process. A few days later he developed gangrene and died during the amputation process. Apparently, the machine didn't like that kick from Bullock, he should have been gentler with an invention that brought him fame and loads of money!

6. Vlaicu II's demise
Aural Vlaicu was a well known Romanian air-plane constructor and pilot during his time. He made planes that no other pilot could fly and these planes effectively won him aerial contests against the best-of-the-best. According to history, he made a fortune of 7500 Austro-Hungarian krones at a Vienna air show by successfully completing various feat with his Vlaicu II.
Puffed and proud he tried to extract the very best out of his aging plane, a trans-Carpathian flight. But his plane let him down at the initial stages, crashing in Campina, Romania, killing Vlaicu.

5. Communists? Kill 'em!

Valerian Abakovsky was a Latvian inventor well known for his invention of an Aerowagon, which was basically a train fitted with an aircraft's engine!
In July 1921, he tested his invention on a group of Russian communists. They took a high-speed rail trip from Moscow to Tula, although they arrived in one piece but on the return journey Abakovsky's invention derailed at high speed, effectively killing everyone on board, including the inventor.

4. Little Sacrifices have to be Made!
These were the final words of the Glider King, Otto Lilienthal, the German who pioneered human aviation by flying for the first time using his hang gliders. A man of grit and resolve he used to lay for hours alongside his brother near their house, studying the flight of birds.
His final flight came in the August of 1896 when during a demonstration he lost air and fell 56 feet below to incur a broken spine. He died the next day, leaving behind the prospect of human flight inundated with rays of hope.

3. Atmosphere Killer
Thomas Midgley Jr. was a well known chemist and inventor of early twentieth century who single handedly destroyed our atmosphere through the hundreds of patents he held.
Midgley discovered tetra-ethyl-lead in 1921 to prevent internal combustion engines from knocking, but it had far more negative impacts than thought; factory workers became insane and hallucinated with well over a dozen of them dying from lead poisoning due to the release of large amounts of lead upon combustion of TEL. And if this wasn't enough he synthesized Freon, the first CFC, blessing us with skin cancer.
Throughout his career Midgley claimed that the chemicals he produced had no third party effects, especially TEL; to prove this theory of his he inhaled from a small bottle of TEL for a full sixty seconds at a press conference saying that he could do it every day without becoming madman! But nature can't hold its leash for very long and Midgley contracted polio in 1951. Still he could not stop his inventive mind, designing a complex system of pulleys and strings that would help him lift himself off his bed. At the age of 55 he finally met his maker...when he, fittingly, got strangled to death in his pulley system.

2. A Slight Tingle...
Dr. Joseph Guillotin is the name. Anybody who has studied a bit of history knows what this guy was famous for, yep the Guillotine, the execution instrument thats saw the death of thousands of French citizens and nobles during the Reign of Terror in late 18th century.
Guillotin was basically a practicing physician who was far more humane than his creation portrays him. In fact he was completely against execution and called for less painful methods of execution if it were to be continued. For this purpose he put forward the Guillotine in 1789 as a device to carry out death penalties, while claiming that the victims will only feel a slight tingle in the back of their neck and nothing more. It was accepted and mercilessly used amidst the French Revolution.
Many claim that Guillotin also had his head chopped off at this device but there is no concrete evidence to support it, with his real cause of death being 'natural' as history tells us.

1. The Flying Tailor
Franz Reichelt was an Austrian-born French tailor who thought that the next big thing would be coat-cum-parachutes! Reichelt tricked the authorities into granting him permission to tests his invention from the Eiffel tower by claiming that he would only proceed with the experiment with dummies. But upon reaching the first platform of the Tower on a chilly February morning, he made his intentions clear that he would be jumping the 187 feet to the ground himself. The police present there to maintain law and order tried their utmost to stop Reichelt from conducting the fatal leap but he remained undeterred.
Hesitating and slightly perplexed he climbed the railing of the platform, forced a smile, and jumped. Needless to say that the 'chute didn't billow out until the final seconds and Recihelt hit the frozen ground below, dying immediately.

Relegated'z Rankings [10 Businessmen who made Billions by Simple Ideas]

2010-07-10T16:48:00.005+05:00

Businessmen are mostly though of as people having no special brains but lots of money to invest! And this 'definition' of businessmen is correct to some extent as the following list will prove, 10 Billionaires who started off with the most simples of ideas...

10. "Chocolate Spread, Anyone?"
Monaco-based Michelle Ferrero owns one of the biggest chocolate companies in Europe, Ferrero, loves church and chocolate and has a total fortune of $11 billion. But his real hit-the-jackpot-moment came when he thought about inducting chocolate spread in our daily breakfast routine and thus Nutella was born, which is single-handedly responsible for a big jump in Ferrero's revenues.
An advice, keep this stuff away from your babies...or else...

9. Clogged Vacuum Cleaners
James Dyson is basically a UK-based guy who has a degree in design and engineering...but additionally owns $1.6 billion! How? Well his hit-the-jackpot-moment showed up when he though about constructing a vacuum cleaner that is upright and sucks dirt without the hassle of clogged filters. 5124 prototypes and a perfect G-Force was ready. No need to mention that it was an instant hit with the masses!!

8. Simple Candies are Obsolete

Hans and Paul Reigal are German brothers who have a craving for creating the most weird of candies, chewy, fruity and savory candies in all sorts of shapes. According to an interview, the 85-year-old elder Reigal gets his sweety ideas from reading comics and watching kid's movies! According to reasonable estimates, their confectionery Haribo, has got sales of around $2.2 billion, so much for oddly-shaped candies!

7. "Wanna Locker?"
Brad Hughes is an happy ol' man, having $3.6 billion in his pocket and everything he desired for (except for a Kentucky Derby win!). Brad's hit-the-jackpot-moment came whilst on a road trip, he stopped at a warehouse and found it full, got home and set up a bunch of lockers off a highway, effectively kicking off his storage business Private Storage. But with this sort of a name he drove off a lot of customers so he opted for a more friendly Public Storage and people started coming in hordes. He also bought his biggest rival Shurguard in 2005. The ol' man doesn't like competition, it seems, well no businessman does!

6. "I am a BookWorm!"
Although he looks more like a stand-up comedian but you gotta respect this guy! He gave you Amazon.com! Jeff Bezos initially got an inspiration from the woes of thousands of book lovers who have to make countless trips to the book stores. He wanted to curtail this hassle and offered at-your-doorstep book provision upon online order. His solely booked Amazon.com went online in 1997 and now has emerged as a one-stop-shop for all our needs! And yes $8.3 billion is this guy's total fortune!

5. E-Market!

Pierre Omidyar is a French computer programmer who had his hit-the-jackpot-moment when he thought about creating a website that would provide the world with an online portal for buyers and sellers to converge upon and so ebay.com was born! Since 1995 it has become a primary or secondary source of income for over two million people around the globe and in the meantime has generated average revenues of $7.7 billion!
One complaint, the logo of ebay looks more like a title of a hip-hop album...

4. Everybody Loves Cuties
Ty Warner, a salesman's son who dropped out of of college and didn't give the tiniest notion that he would be a billionaire one day. His hit-the-jackpot-moment showed up when he though about selling stuffed bean bags shaped like cartoon characters with cute names. Beanie Babies hit the shelves in mid-1993 and stirred up a collecting craze that would bless him with $4.1 billion as fortune. He has expanded his business with the Ty Dolls line and a bunch of seasonal resorts. Well ask me, I don't know why people wanna cuddle with purple-eyed doggies?

3. I have got Wiiiiiings!
Chaleo Yoovidhya and Dietrich Mateschitz may be from nations far apart but they had their mutual hit-the-jackpot-moment when they thought about concocting an energy drink that is heavily caffeinated and super-concentrated with B-vitamins, Redbull was born. Easily the most sold energy beverage of our times. Caffeine seems to keep you up when you have drank a pitcher of Coke or Pepsi,well...these guys knew it (who doesn't?) and concentrated that amount of caffeine in a good, 'ol, handy can, popping in some steroids and vitamins as they sealed the can. No need to mention that caffeine in itself is addictive as well...so the two are pretty well off with average sales of $4.4 billion...

2. Simple Polo Shirts? Duh!
Ralph Lauren can be considered as one of the most prestigious apparel designers in the world. No fashion fiesta touches the barrier of completion without him (at least the organizers say so =P). He launched his Ralph Lauren apparel company in 1967 which has pretty much crept into everything, from perfumes to house-paints.
But his money-making success initiated from the moment he thought about grabbing a polo shirt, adding a horse decal and pricing it at $50... and b00m! His sales rocketed, so much for that little horse and its tiny golf-club bearing rider which would have cost Lauren less than a dollar on its own! $4.2 billion are what he has got...

1. Smelly Feet...Yikes!
Mario Moretti is this Italians' name, who had his hit-the-jackpot moment when, repulsed from smelly feet (foot fetishism any one?), he thought about adding tiny holes to the bottom of shoes to release sweat thereby eliminating that nasty stink that is enough to rid anesthesia from a general hospital! Initially he wanted to sell this idea to Nike, but Nike had standards this guy didn't know, so they turned him down and with it a multi-million dollar yanking advertisement proclaiming the pope to be their customer! Therefore Moretti started off his own shoe company Geox which has helped him to get a fortune worth $2.9 billions, just by selling shoes with holes at their soles...hell I could do that..just hand me over a pair of compasses!! And apparently this guy loves smelling his creations...

Relegated'z Rankings [10 Most Gruesome Torture Tools]

2010-06-22T17:01:00.010+05:00

You may have watched gory movies like Saw, The Final Destination or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre without even flinching but what lays ahead will surely redefine your perception of torture....presenting to you the 10 Most Gruesome Torture Devices of Medieval times...

10. The Pear of Anguish

A form of torture reserved for blasphemers, homosexuals, liers, women who had a miscarriage and adulterers.

This pear shaped torture tool was inserted in one of the victim's orifices (mouth, vagina or anus, yikes!) and as the torturer turned the screw the 'leaves of the pear' opened up inside the victim. Although not deadly by itself but the excruciating pain that accompanied its function was enough to make the tortured pass out.

9. The Screw

One of the most effective tools to churn out the required information from a prisoner, the Screw slowly crushed the victim's fingers, toes, elbows or knees.

8. The Boots

A torture devices that made a victim's legs completely useless. It consisted of two curved iron sheets that were screwed around the legs of the unfortunate. The many wedges on the inside were then made use of as the torturer repeatedly struck the sheets with a hammer. The victims often had their legs reduced to minced meat and crushed bones, not to mention the bone marrow that 'sauced' the remain! This stuff is making me throw up!

7. Guided Cradle

Imagine sitting on top of a a sharp, pyramid-like structure with your arms and legs all chained up. The torturers would yank you up and then let you fall on that penetrating thing! Ow! A slow and painful death through impaling occurs. Lucky us! Not living in medieval Spain!

6. Head Crusher

The chin of an unfortunate victim ends up on the lower bar while the cap is slowly screwed on to his/her skull. This purely painful device was one of the torturer's favorite throughout the medieval ages. Imagine when the skull is crushed by that cap! AAH!

5. The Spanish Donkey

The name may sound a bit amusing but the torture this device 'bestows' upon its 'riders' is excruciating even to think of. The victim sits astride the sharpened pyramidal knife with weights usually hanging from his/her feet. In a few hours the targeted person is sliced in half from his/her own weight... initiating from a very painful point too!

4. The Rack

The rack was one of the most painful forms of torture device to be used in medieval Europe. The accused was usually laid across the raised platforms with his/her arms and legs tied firmly, the torturer then turned the rollers and the victim's joints would snap one by one due to extreme stretching! Ow!

3. Iron Maiden

Many argue that this tool of torture was never actually used, but there is no concrete fact to support their claim so this tool finds the number three spot on my list. The Iron Maiden is more like a coffin lined on the inside with strategically placed iron nails that would impale the victims in the eyes, the chest and the back but will miss the vital organs, like heart or lungs so that the unfortunate person inside would live for a period of excruciating pain and profuse bleeding.

2. Inquisitional Chair

The Spaniards had a taste for inventing gnarling torture devices but nothing seems to beat their famed Inquisitional Chair. A person unfortunate enough to be strapped tightly to this 'chair' would experience unending pain as hundreds of nails pierced his/her flesh and if this wasn't enough the torturers would push down on the unfortunate soul for added penetration. Moreover there were reports of people also being 'cooked' on this chair as the torturers heated the poor victim until he/she was roasted alive! This is some torture!

1. Catherine Wheel

Without doubt, the most gruesome torture device ever used! The usage of this tool of torture was most frequented in medieval Germany. The victim had his/her major joints first crushed with a specially strengthened hammer. Then the gelatinous remains were twisted around the spokes of the wheel and the unfortunate person was left at the mercy of the outside world, often 'treated' with rotten tomatoes, fecal matter and other 'luxuries' before the crows and vultures took toll and the poor soul died a horrible death.

Science Watch (June 2010)

2010-06-21T23:09:00.002+05:00

M back! Starting off with this week's top scientific stories...:-)

Chimp Wars

Researchers have discovered that gang wars and territory take-overs are not limited to us humans. Our closest cousins, the chimpanzees, are also pretty good at it!

Chimp groups were observed to send out patrols in rival's territories and strategically take out their opponents, subsequently increasing their territory in fatal turf wars.

Scientists 'link-up' Artificial Genome

Craig Venter and Co's $40 million investment finally bore fruit as a 'hollowed-out' bacterium cell rose from the dead and multiplied with a synthetically manufactured DNA molecule.

The USA based team of scientists, lead by Venter, used a computer to link-up alternate base pairs to give a artificial DNA molecule similar to that of a Myco. mycoides. This synthetic DNA when transplanted into a 'dead' specimen of Myco. capricolum which then successfully restarted its operation and reproduced.

Largest bone-bed of dinosaurs discovered near Alberta

A dinosaur bone-bed consisting of thousand's of bones from Triceratops' cousin Centrosaurus was discovered by a group of scientists near the Canadian city of Alberta.

The site is spread over an area of 2.5 km. square and the bones discovered exclusively belong to the herbivore Centrosaurus which lived a good 10 million before its famous, movie-star cousin Triceratops. The number of specimens has been estimated to be at at least over a thousand which also indicates that dinosaur herds were much larger than previously thought.

Out Hidden Sense of Touch

Scientists at the University of Liverpool found out that we have some nerve endings that surround our blood vessels and sweat glands!

Upon research on two volunteers who did not feel any pain but could tell hot and cold things apart and detect variations in applied pressure revealed that they do did not posses the normal nerve fibers associated with pain detection but they did have nerve endings surrounding at blood vessels near the skin as well as sweat glands!

Grafting 'New' Livers

A group of investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital has recently managed to develop a new method for dealing with liver grafts. The researchers say that, in a few years, it may become possible to grow replacement livers using biocompatible tissue scaffolding derived from rat livers, and human-derived cells. Details of the new work will appear in print in an upcoming issue of the esteemed scientific publication Nature Medicine. The research team was based at the MGH Center for Engineering in Medicine.

Sources:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7843616/Chimpanzees-gangs-build-empires-by-killing-neighbours-in-turf-wars.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64J5RY20100526

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/science/alberta-scientists-discover-largest-bed-of-dinosaur-bones/article1608423/

http://discovermagazine.com/2010/apr/04-your-hidden-sense-of-touch

Joke of the Week

2010-04-19T21:25:00.001+05:00

This week's joke, uh, jok'er' is without doubt Shoaib Malik, who recently married Indian Tennis star Sania Mirza. Methinks that Shoiab was in a bit of a hurry to marry Sania lest she found a better man overnight, keeping in view her constantly changing tastes in men, from Singhs to Khans and Mirzas to finally Maliks. This thing is evident from the ahem clothing of Malik, look at the boxes on his kurta, he has just wore it out of its packaging!! We understand your reservations Shoaib, but how much it takes to iron a silk kurta for such a followed wedding!! =D

Science Watch (April 2010)

2010-04-19T19:03:00.002+05:00

Here are this week's top scientific stories...

Hammerhead leap into the tons category.
Australian fishermen were excited when they captured a giant Smooth Hammerhead Shark in the east coast of the Australia Sea. The shark weighs 1.25 tons, has a length of approximately 6 meters. It is thought to be 40 years old at least. The Smooth Hammerhead Shark is an endangered species. They are famous for never attacking human beings.

There's life where you think nothing is.

Although these microscopic creatures may look beautiful in photographs, but many of them are not even visible to the human eye. Most are microbes of bacteria, though there are also worms burrowing into the sea bed and ocean insects less than 1mm long.

The only way scientists have been able to make the discoveries is using new technology like DNA sequencing that tells the different species apart and remotely operated submarines that can operate thousands of feet under the sea.
The survey was carried out by scientists around the world as part of a 10-year international project to find out more about the oceans, the Census of Marine Life.
One project took ocean samples from more than 1,200 sites around the world in order to find out more about microbial life. It found microbes with 18 million different DNA sequences, suggesting there could be millions of species although only a few thousand have been described.
Another study found 7,000 new genus of bacteria in the Western English Channel alone. A sponge from Australia's Great Barrier Reef was home to almost 3,000 different types of bacteria.
Previously it was thought there was around 100,000 microbial cells in every litre of seawater but scientists now think there could be one billion.
A separate study of holozooplankton, that look like tiny transparent insects, doubled the number of known species from 7,000 to 14,000.
A study into roundworms found 500,0000 in a single square metre of ocean floor, while there are now 16,000 known species of seaworms.
John Baross of the University of Washington, who is a contributor to the census, said microscopic life in the oceans sustains 90 per cent of life.
He said the new findings was opening up a "huge frontier" in science that could help explain changes in the food chain, weather patterns and carbon cycles. It will also help predict how climate change will affect the oceans.
"Marine animals alone may account for hundreds of millions microbial species. This is a huge frontier for next decade," he said.

There's a new leech king of the jungle.
The new species—dubbed Tyrannobdella rex, or "tyrant leech king"—was discovered in the remote Pereuvian Amazon, according to a new study.
Puzzling scientists from the start, the up-to-three-inch-long (about seven-centimeter-long) bloodsucker has large teeth, like its dinosaur namesake Tyrannosaur rex.
The T. rex leech uses its teeth to saw into the tissues of mammals' orifices, including eyes, urethras, rectums, and vaginas.
The leech was first recognized from a specimen plucked from the nose of a girl in Peru's central Chanchamayo Province in 2007. After two years of subsequent field research, the team comprising Mark Siddal and colleagues discovered the leech belongs to a globally scattered group of leeches that all suck on mammalian mucus membranes.
Ironically, the ferocious leech may one day help people. Siddall and his team study leeches to develop anticoagulants—treatments that stop patients' blood from clotting.
Medicinal leeches have been used for more than a century for various medical therapies. Finding a new leech helps scientists better understand the molecules that make leech saliva so beneficial.

Deep in the Mediterranean, scientists have discovered the first complex animals known to live without oxygen.
It was previously thought that only viruses and single-celled microbes could survive without oxygen long-term.
But three new species of multicellular animals found during recent research expeditions live comfortably in oxygen-free depths, said team leader Roberto Danovaro of Italy.
"The bodies of multicellular animals have previously been discovered [in oxygen-free zones] but were thought to have sunk there from upper, oxygenated waters," Danovaro said in a statement. "Our results indicate that the animals we recovered were alive. Some, in fact, also contained eggs."
The new animals are microscopic—each measuring less than a millimeter across—and they resemble tiny jellyfish

The creatures seem to thrive in the extremely salty sediments of the Mediterranean seafloor, one of the most extreme environments on Earth.
Most multicellar organisms, including humans, have structures inside their cells called mitochondria, which use oxygen to convert nutrients into energy molecules known as ATP. While these new animals appear to have modified versions of mitochondria called hydrogenosomes, which can produce ATP without oxygen.

Hair Anybody??
Scientists the US are bullish about the discovery of a new hair-loss gene, something that could help the many millions of men with male pattern baldness.
While the gene is specifically linked to a form of hereditary childhood baldness, the researchers from Columbia, Rockefeller and Stanford universities in the US believe that the discovery may in time help those with adult baldness.
The hereditary form, known as hypotrichosis simplex, causes “hair follicle miniaturisation”, says Dr Angela Christiano, professor of dermatology and genetics and development at Columbia. She and colleagues publish their findings this morning in the journal Nature.
The errant gene culprit, APCDD1, was identified by analysing genetic information from several families from Pakistan and Italy affected by hereditary childhood hair loss.
While this occurs in children affected by hypotrichosis simplex, shrinking follicles are also central to male pattern baldness, says Dr Christiano. In both cases the follicles shrink, causing normal thick hair to be replaced by thin fine hair, also known as “peach fuzz”, the authors write.
Dr Christiano points out that while both conditions deliver a similar result, the gene discovery does not fully explain what lies behind male baldness. Yet, the discovery is important for what it might tell us about the onset of thinning hair.
“The identification of this gene underlying hereditary hypotrichosis simplex has afforded us an opportunity to gain insight into the process of hair follicle miniaturisation, which is most commonly observed in male pattern hair loss or androgenetic alopecia,” Dr Christiano says.

Planets can also go in reverse gear! or rather remain in reverse gear!!!

The nine new planets discovered recently by the European astronomers, two of them orbiting backwards around their nearby star, managed to shake an important planetary theory. However, in such solar systems no Earth-like planets are capable to survive.

It was always believe that all planets orbit in the same direction as the rotation of their host star. However, the prevailing theories of how planets are formed may no longer valid after the astronomers’ announced the discovery of nine new transiting exoplanets, two of which having opposite orbits.

The standard theories of how solar systems are formed indicate “planets coalesce together out of protoplanetary discs of dust and gas that spin around a star’s equator. As these discs rotate in the same direction as the star spins on its axis, planetary orbits ought also to follow this pattern”.

However, this discovery proves that those theories will not always apply, especially when the solar system contain giant gas planets that orbit very close to their stars. Those gas planets are called “hot Jupiters” which are believed to migrate inwards after forming in the outer parts of solar systems.

"The new results really challenge the conventional wisdom that planets should always orbit in the same direction as their stars spin”, said Professor Andrew Cameron of the University of St Andrews when his team presented this discovery at the Royal Astronomical Society’s annual meeting in Glasgow, Scotland.

Unlike the planets in our solar system, two of the newly discovered planets were orbiting backwards around their star. “Our picture of planetary formation and migration may have been colored by the simplicity of our own solar system”, said Professor Andrew.

Those backwards orbiting planets suggest that giant gas planets could be caught by the "gravitational tug-of-war" between distant objects like nearby stars or planets, which could turn over their orbital alignment, pushing them into an unusual orbit around their transit stars.

However, “A dramatic side effect of this process is that it would wipe out any other smaller Earth-like planet in these systems”, said Didier Queloz, another leader of the research team, because Jupiter-sized retrograde planets tend to knock out smaller planets.

Links to sources;

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/6956112.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/7535115/Millions-of-tiny-microbes-open-new-frontier-in-science.html

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/04/100415-new-species-t-rex-leech-orifices/

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/04/100416-oxygen-free-complex-animals-mediterranean/

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0415/1224268372842.html

http://www.ecpulse.com/en/topstory/2010/04/14/new-planets-discovered/

Relegated'z Rankings [Movies]

2010-04-06T13:38:00.003+05:00

Here are the five movies that you must see during this week.

1) Shutter Island, you can bet on this one as the best psychological thriller to have come out after the epic Silence of the Lambs (1991). Martin Scorsese shows just how superb a director he is, the movie is very well crafted with superb action sequences and mystery to the very core that will keep you engrossed throughout the two hour runtime. It is a must watch for anybody who is into great films because this is a film that you should not skip because it delivers what every other release of the mystery/thriller genre can't, the feeling of being there. My rating 9/10. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
2) This is probably the golden age of animated films. Just take a look at the last ten to fifteen years and you get to see super-hit CG films like Shrek, Finding Nemo, Toy Story among others, in a frequency unparalleled in any other time period. How to Train Your Dragon is also a part of this increasing chain. With beautifully rendered graphics in unreal detail, a vivid story line and a nice score, this movie possesses something for everyone. Do not miss it. It takes 8/10 from my side. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
3) A friend told me about this movie a few days back, I was a bit doubtful about its offerings after hearing its cynical title Hot Tub Time Machine. But when I saw this comedy flick myself then I got to know that I was soooo wrong. It hasn't got all that crap stuff, which we have come to associate with comedy movies in recent times but instead this picture relies on frequent and ideal timing of cool punch lines. Don't skip this one if you want some fun time. 7.5/10 is what i would like to give it. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
4) All that hype for nothing, Johnny Depp starrer, Alice in Wonderland fails to live up to the expectations. Burton's effort at transforming the cheery Lewis Carroll novel into a more dark and sinister screen adaption went in vain as the essence of the chirpy, children's story was lost, the essence that made previous AIW adaptions a success. Although Depp's performance as the Mad Hatter was well done, especially that Willy Wonka [from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory] touch that he gave to this character. All in all, I would recommend this film just for the sake of the tremendous effort that has been put in the gorgeous 3-D graphics and the performance of Depp. 7/10 for this one. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

5) Clash of the Titans, an action movie that has got countless action sequences but zero sense. Poor script, horrid acting and lack of mythological accuracy renders this film a useless package of fights. I have only given it a place on my list because of the fact that it is at #1 on the U.S Box Office at the time I am typing this. Avoid if you have a sophisticated motion-picture sense. 4/10. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Relegated'z Rankings [Music]

2010-04-05T19:37:00.004+05:00

These are this weeks ranking of mine, for English songs that is...

More from Usher's new album Raymond vs. Raymond is arguably the best track on the CD. It is very well produced and catchy and will continue to rock the clubs for more than just weeks. No wonder Usher's management decided to make it an Itunes bonus track only. 9/10 from my side.
Break Your Heart is a single offering from Taio Cruz with a nice little featuring from Ludacris. Listened to it a few days back on City FM89 and got addicted to it. Awesome beat and lyrics, do give it a try. 8/10 is my rating for this track.
Carry Out is a track from one-in-a-million producer Timbaland's followup to the tremendously successful Shock Value with Shock Value II. Couple an always great performance of Timbaland with this number's groovy beats and bass and you get a track worth listening. Moreover the clever play of words in the lyrics make it a joy to listen. 8/10 is what I would like to give it.
Hey, Soul Sister is a new single by the rock band Train. The band are known for creating soulful number which are not over-produced and keep the essence of the track alive, well Hey, Soul Sister is a prime example of their beliefs of leaving the audience to judge the track and understand its musical meaning rather than pepper them with loops and grooves that are not required by the lyrics. 7.5 outta 10 for this track.
The final track to feature on my this week's top 5 list is, from Rihanna's Rated R, Rude Boy. There was tough competition between Jason Darulo's In My Head and Usher's OMG and Rude Boy because these three songs are spending equal amount of time on my 'Hitz' playlist but in the end Rude Boy won over, thanks to some great loopy beat that you can't get enough of. Probably Fireball and Rude Boy are the only worth listeining tracks on the much disappointing and explicit Rated R. It takes 6.5/10 from me.

Download Links
More
Break Your Heart
Carry Out
Hey, Soul Sister
Rude Boy

A Fresh Start...

2010-04-04T14:22:00.005+05:00

I had been away from this blog for about 7 months...thats a long time...now m here making a fresh start on this blog of mine...I m planning to start some new series; keep your fingers crossed...

BTW I have started a new blog greasethosewheels.blogspot.com (greasethosewheels.blogspot.com) do give it a look if you happen to be an AS Level student. You will find good notes and stuff on this blog..=). Keep me aware of your feedback...

P.S: I will try to be a bit more regular this time =P...

Champion's Trophy 2009 > Fixtures.

2009-09-24T10:41:00.010+06:00

?September 009?

Tues 22 Day/Night 12:30 GMT, 14:30 Local, 18:30 PST - SOUTH AFRICA vs SRI LANKA SuperSport Park, Centurion (Sri Lanka won by 55-runs D/L)

Wed 23 Day/Night 12:30 GMT, 14:30 Local, 18:30 PST - PAKISTAN vs. WEST INDIES
New Wanderer's Stadium, Johannesburg (Pakistan won by 5-wickets)

Thurs 24 07:30 GMT, 09:30 Local, 13:30 PST - SOUTH AFRICA vs. NEW ZEALAND
SuperSport Park, Centurion (South Africa won by 5 wickets)

Fri 25 Day/Night 12:30 GMT, 14:30 Local, 18:30 PST - ENGLAND vs. SRI LANKA New Wanderer's Stadium, Johannesburg (England won by 6 wickets)

Sat 26 07:30 GMT, 09:30 Local, 13:30 PST - AUSTRALIA vs. WESTINDIES
New Wanderer's Stadium, Johannesburg (Australia won by 50 runs)

Sat 25 Day/Night 12:30 GMT, 14:30 Local, 18:30 PST - PAKISTAN vs. INDIA
SuperSport Park, Centurion (Pakistan won by 54 runs)

Sun 27 07:30 GMT, 09:30 Local, 13:30 PST - NEW ZEALAND vs. SRI LANKA
New Wanderer's Stadium, Johannesburg (New Zealand won by 38 runs)

Sun 27 Day/Night 12:30 GMT, 14:30 Local, 18:30 PST - ENGLAND vs. SOUTH AFRICA SuperSport Park, Centurion (England won by 22 runs)

Mon 28 Day/Night 12:30 GMT, 14:30 Local, 18:30 PST - INDIA vs. AUSTRALIA
SuperSport Park, Centurion (N/R, match forfeited due to heavy rain)

Sun 29 Day/Night 12:30 GMT, 14:30 Local, 18:30 PST - ENGLAND vs. NEW ZEALAND
New Wanderer's Stadium, Johannesburg (New Zealand won by 4 wickets)

Wed 30 07:30 GMT, 09:30 Local, 13:30 PST - PAKISTAN vs. AUSTRALIA
SuperSport Park, Centurion (Australia won by 2-wickets on the very last ball of the game; labeled as the match of ICC Champion's Trophy 2009; Mike Hussey described it as the final before the final)

Wed 30 Day/Night 12:30 GMT, 14:30 Local, 18:30 PST - INDIA vs. WEST INDIES
New Wanderer's Stadium, Johannesburg (India won by 7 wickets)

?October 009?

Oct 02 Day/Night 1ST SEMI-FINAL, 12:30 GMT, 14:30 Local, 18:30 PST - A1 vs. B2
Australia vs. England SuperSport Park, Centurion (Australia won by 9 wickets)

Oct 03 Day/Night 2ND SEMI-FINAL, 12:30 GMT, 14:30 Local, 18:30 PST - A2 vs. B1
Pakistan vs New Zealand New Wanderer's Stadium, Johannesburg (New Zealand won by 5 wickets)

Oct 05 Day/Night FINAL, 12:30 GMT, 14:30 Local, 18:30 PST - TBD vs. TBD
AUSTRALIA vs. NEW ZEALAND SuperSport Park, Centurion

Australia dominated the Kiwis by 6 wickets to take home their second successive ICC Champion's Trophy...

Match Box (Pak. vs Sl. T20 International)

2009-08-11T12:15:00.004+06:00

MATCH INFO CENTRAL >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Match: Pakistan vs. Sri Lanka Mobitel Cup Lone T20I.
Date: August 12, 2009
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium [Also Known as Colombo RPS]
Type: Twenty20 International
Series-at-a-Glance (ODI): Pakistan came back strongly to win the last two ODIs of the series with record margins. But despite these late heroics Sri Lanka won the series 3-2.
Time: 07:30 pm PST, 06:00 pm local, 01:30 pm GMT
Live Telecasters: PTV Home, Ten Sports, Super Sport 6, Star Cricket (Score Only)
Live Scores: www.cricinfo.com, www.cricbuzz.com, www.star-cricket.com
Live Streaming: www.action8cricket, www.justin.tv, www.ustream.tv
Radio Coverage: City FM 93
Live Views: cricket@mobitelnet.lk

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

THE GROUND

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

R Premadasa Stadium was involved in only one T20 International through the years, India vs. Sri Lanka (2009), from which India emerged victorious whilst batting second and chasing down a target of 171.

Pitch: As the pitches are for T20I(s), dry and flat, allowing even the poorest of batsmen to go at a 5-star balling attack with disdain. Thats what all the spectators expect, runs and runs. I think that this match would also not deviate from the conventional T20 and would be a high scoring one. Fingers Crossed.

As far as winning the toss is concerned, without doubt I would bat first if I had a side matching Pakistan's caliber. Then put up a good score of 150+ and you have won the match for good.

This T20 has created quite a stir in Sri Lanka as the Lankans consider it as a perfect opportunity to avenge the T20 World Cup final defeat from Pakistan. But I daresay that this will go down only as a dream for the Lankan Lions. ;-)

The key-man Dilshan will not be there for the Lankans, a serious drawback for them.

This match would also test the skills of Shahid Afridi as a leader. As he would be captaining Pakistan for the first time in his career after the retirement of Younus Khan from T20 Cricket. Although it is nothing new fro the seasoned allrounder who has previously lead teams like Habib Bank, Karachi Dolphins at the domestic circuit.

Shaid Afridi has to perform both with the ba tand the ball. As he is the cpatain now and a captain leads from the front!!!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

TEAM PERFORMANCES

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Pakistan: This is the first T20I fixture for Pakistan at this ground.

Sri Lanka: The Lankans have lost the only T20I they have played here, to India. Despite the fact that they posted a good score of 171.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

FINAL RECOMMENDED PLAYING 11 FOR PAKISTAN

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Imran Nazir
Kamran Akmal

The hard-hitting Imran Nazir and the flamboyant Kamran Akmal are an ideal opening pair for a T20 game against any opposition. With Imran Nazir's return to form and Kamran Akmall's good run in the limited-overs format, this opening jodi is one to keep an eye out for.

Shahid Afridi
Umar Akmal
Misbah-ul-Haq
Shoaib Malik
Fawad Alam

Shahid Afridi should bat at number three as he had been extremely successful at this position in the T20 WC 2009. Followed by belligerent Umar Akmal who has superb hard-hitting capabilities and now with shorter boundaries he will clear the ropes more often than not. Misbah-ul-Haq has recently returned to form and this good nick should be put to use by Afridi by giving him a chance in this T20, as he has got tremendous capabilities in the shortest form of the game as shown in the first ediiton of the T20 WC. Shoaib Malik seems to have an unending bad patch, but for the sake of completing the batting lineup he gets a place too. In T20 cricket every single run counts and with a fielder like Alam, many-a-runs can be saved, which in the end will always make a difference. Alam has also got some hard-hitting capabilites lowe down the order.

Mohammad Amir
Naveed-ul-Hasan
Rao Iftikhar Anjum
Saeed Ajmal

Naveed-ul-Hasan has been impressive with his variations. Specially that slower one that bamboozles batsmen more often than not, coupled with his over-the-top hitting he is a worthy of inclusion in the playing eleven. Amer is also in good shape of late and should be in the side for the T20I. Rao Ifitkhar has also been pretty economical in the games he played so far on this tour so he should also be there in the Pakistani bowling attack. No questions about Saeed Ajmal being here, the spinner has delivered more often than not in the T20 WC 2009. And with an unpickable, doosra he can be a handful.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Stats Source: www.cricinfo.com

Photo (c) AFP

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Operation FC (Manchester United)

2009-08-09T12:19:00.007+06:00

An English Football heavy-weight, Manchester United, is a force to reckon with. Founded in 1872 as a meagre work-team of a railway depot, Man U, went through all the ups and down in its history to emerge, perched on the highest cloud of fame. May it be the 1958 Munich Air Disaster in which United lost nine of their first-team players [Winger Johnny Berry survived, but the sustained injuries brought his football career to a premature close] or the yo-yo years (1911-1939) during which the club had the taste of almost every type of position in the First Division [except the top-three!], not to mention the constant relegation.

The appointment of Matt Busby as manager in 1945 finally revived the club, and his infrequent approach of giving new-found-talent a chance in the 'A' team payed off quite well when Man U won 5 First Division titles and 2 FA Cups during his term as manager. Busby's uncommon tactics blessed United with rare talents like Bobby Charlton [leading goal-scorer, 249], Denis Law [2nd leading goal-scorer, 237] and George Best [known as Quick Feet with the capability of giving passes through the narrowest of gaps].

No one managed to fill the gap Busby's departure left until the 1986 appointment of Scotsman Alex Ferguson, under whose guidance Man U finally won their first League title in 26 years. There was no looking back afterwards as United went on to win eleven Premier League titles and five FA Cups including two Doubles and a sparkling Treble [1998-1999]. Star signings like Eric Cantona, Robby Keane, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and David Bekham ensured the flourish of Man U from 1993 onwards.

Manchester United's trophy cabinet seems rather full with eighteen English League Championships, eleven FA Cups, three League Cups, three European Cups and seventeen Community Shields being the most prominent.

Popularly known as the "Red Devils" which led to the popular Man U crest which comprises of a devil holding a trident in a shield in the centre and the words Manchester and United are vividly represented above and below the shield respectively.

The traditional home-kit of the club remained from 1902 onwards [with the exception of 1909 UEFA Cup final and early 1920s] as red shirts, white shorts and black socks. AIG, an insurance company, is the chief shirt sponsor of United until the 2009-2010 season. Aon, an American reinsurance firm, will take over from AIG at the beginning of the 2010-2011 season with the most lucrative sponsorship deal in football history, i.e, £ 20 million-a-year! The lengthiest shirt sponsorship deal in English Football also has to do with Man U [Sharp Electronics, 1982-2000].

Manchester United had played in shabby grounds until 1902 when tycoon J. H. Davies bought the club. Subsequently, in 1910 the 76,000+ capacity Old Trafford was opened which remains the official stadium of the club ever since. The stadium was also partially rebuilt after bombings during WW II destroyed much of its Major Stand.

The most prominent rivalries of Man U are with Liverpool, Manchester City and Leeds United. Rivalries, to a lesser extent, also exist with Chelsea and Arsenal.

MAN U QUICK FACTS:

Founded: 1878
Ground: Old Trafford (Capacity: 76, 212)
Owner: Malcolm Glazer (USA)
Co-chairmen: Joel and Avram Glazer (both from USA)
Manager: Alex Ferguson (Scotland)
League: Barclay's Premier League
Last Season Position: 1st
Captain: Gary Neville (UK)
V. Captain: Ryan Giggs (Wales)
Did You Know: Manchester United is involved in one of the greatest comebacks ever-witnessed in football history. Going 1-0 down in the injury time of the 1999 UEFA Champions League's final against Bayern Munich, Man U went on to score two goals that helped them win a Treble and the European Cup!
Official Site: www.manutd.com
Current Squad:
GOAL KEEPERS:
- Edwin van der Saar (Netherland)
- Ben Foster (UK)
- Tomasz Kuszczak (Poland)
- Ron-Robert Zieler (Germany)
- Ben Amos (UK)
- Tom Heaton (UK)
DEFENDERS:
- Gary Neville (UK)
- Patrice Evra (France)
- Rio Ferdinand (UK)
- Wes Brown (UK)
- Nemanja Vidic (Serbia)
- Fabio (Brazil)
- Rafael (Brazil)
- John O'Shea (Ireland)
- Jonny Evans (UK)
- Danny Simpson (UK)
- Craig Cathcart (Northern Ireland)
- James Chester (UK)
- Ritchie De Laet (Belgium)
MIDFIELDERS:
- Owen Hargreaves (UK)
- Anderson (Brazil)
- Ryan Giggs (Wales)
- Park Ji-Sung (South Korea)
- Zoran Tosic (Serbia)
- Michael Carrick (UK)
- Nani (Portugal)
- Paul Scholes (UK)
- Darren Fletcher (Scotland)
- Daron Gibson (Ireland)
- Sam Hewson (UK)
- Tom Cleverley (UK)
- David Gray (Scotland)
- Davide Petrucci (Italy)
- Cory Evans (Northern Ireland)
- Daniel Drinkwater (UK)
- Matthew James (UK)
- Antonio Valencia (Ecuador)
FORWARDS:
- Michael Owen (UK)
- Dimitar Berbatov (Bulgaria)
- Wayne Rooney (UK)
- Danny Welbeck (UK)
- Federico Macheda (Italy)
- Fabian Brandy (UK)
- Gabriel Obertan (France)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Match Box (Pak. vs Sl. 4th ODI)

2009-08-07T11:09:00.009+06:00

MATCH INFO CENTRAL >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Match: Pakistan vs. Sri Lanka Mobitel Cup 4th ODI.
Date: August 7, 2009
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium [Also Known as Colombo RPS]
Type: Day/Night ODI
Series-at-a-Glance: Sri Lanka have an unassailable 3-0 lead in the 5-match-series
Time: 03:00 pm PST, 02:30 pm local, 09:00 am GMT
Live Telecasters: PTV Home, Ten Sports, Super Sport 6, Star Cricket (Score Only)
Live Scores: www.cricinfo.com, www.cricbuzz.com, www.star-cricket.com
Live Streaming: www.action8cricket, www.justin.tv, www.ustream.tv
Radio Coverage: City FM 93
Live Views: cricket@mobitelnet.lk

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

THE GROUND

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

R Premadasa Stadium is an automatic choice for the Sri Lankan Cricket Board to host day and night fixtures. Equiped with the latest floodlights, this 35,000 capacity stadium is the by far the largest stadium in Sri Lanka.

A panaromic view of Colombo RPS.

The pitch here was designed to be neutral, allowing a good battle between bat and ball, but the frequent overcast conditions and moisture in the air spoil the party for the batsmen, with the bowlers getting heaps of swing and wickets ;-) .

Weather most-often-than-not goes harsh here, for cricket fans that is, with the frequent thunderstorms. Clouds menacingly hover over the ground and spectators have to keep an eye out of rain which often drenches them! This is shown by the fact that out of the 98 ODIs played here, 17 ended up being canceled/abandoned. Not to mention the regular drizzle/rain that interrupts play.

The dreaded cloud-cover at R. Premadasa Stadium

As far as my opinion is concerned, win the toss, bat first, put up a good score (240+) on the board for your bowlers to defend under-lights. The spinners will also be aided under floodlights through uneven bounce.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

TEAM PERFORMANCES

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Pakistan: Pakistan have remained pretty even-steven here. Playing 13 games and winning only 6 of them [one game ended in no result]. The highest score put up by Pakistan here was 319-5 [against Bengladesh, 1997] and the lowest one stands at 122-10 [against Sri Lanka, 2004]. The win percentage of Pakistan at the RPS is 50.00%

Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka have played 73 fixtures here and winning 46 of them [five matches were cancelled/abandoned]. The highest total by Sri Lanka was 320-8 [against India, 2009] and the lowest one the could muster was 98-10 [against South Africa, 1993]. Their win percentage at the Premadas statium is 67.64.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

FINAL RECOMMENDED PLAYING 11 FOR PAKISTAN

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Imran Nazir
Kamran Akmal

The master-blaster has sat for too long as the 12th man in this series. This star player should be given a chance to make his comeback in this ODI. Kamran Akmal has shown some good temperment and technique in the last two ODIs and should be handed over the partnership with Nazir. Nasir Jamshed doesn't get a place in my team because of his poor batting technique. With scores of 0 and 1 in the two ODIs he featured in, Younus would be a madman if he now gave Jamsehd preference over Nazir.

Younus Khan
Umar Akmal
Mohammad Yousuf
Shoaib Malik
Shahid Afridi

This middle-order is the best I can think of in the current squad after Misbahs staggering fitness. Younus Khan as a captain cannot be left out O _ o!! Umar Akmal has shown quite some promise with the bat and also in the field, he should be given a chance as well. Mohammad Yousuf should also be back in the side now as a man of his calibre cannot spend the rest of the series among the reserves. Shoaib Malik should also be tried by Younus at the RPS, as his average is quite good here, 36.50. He also scored a crafty century here. Boom Boom is the catalyst in the side and should be utilized by Younus in the Batting PP. Although he struggled with his leg-spin throughout the whole series.

Mohammad Amir
Naveed-ul-Hasan
Rao Iftikhar Anjum
Saeed Ajmal

Naveed-ul-Hasan has been impressive at this ground, taking 3-23 in the only match he played here. Razzaq will be missed in this lower order, not because of his batting but his bowling. He is by far the best bowler for Pakistan at the RPS with 12 wickets in the 8 fixtures he featured in. Rao Iftikhar also has a good record at this ground bagging 2 wickets for 13 runs with an impressive economy of 1.85 in the only match he played here. With injuries to Gul and Razzaq he will get a chance, surely. Mohammad Amir is the new pace sensation of Pakistan he will be the one to lookout for during this match. Saeed Ajmal acts as the run-stopper with a superlative career economy rate of 3.89.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The above overview holds true for the final ODI as well!!

Stats Source: www.cricinfo.com

Photo (c) AFP

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Operation FC (Liverpool)

2009-07-31T12:59:00.007+06:00

An, English football club which has been through many disasters and controversies over the years. Founded in 1892, this eminent football club has done well to cement its name in the Premier League's "Big Four".

Nicknamed "The Reds", because of the all-red traditional kit they have been wearing since the early 1960s, Liverpool FC has gone through many-a-hard times during its Premiership. May it be an exemplary case of football hooliganism in the 1985 European Cup final, when charging Liverpool fans led to the death of 39 confronting Juventus devotees upon the collapse of a rickety stadium wall or the 1989 Hillsborough disaster which saw the death of 94 Liverpool F.C followers in a human stampede which would be remembered as one of the most gruesome disaster in football history. Another dark time in the football club's history was its relegation to Second Division for almost six years (1953-1959).

BillShankly is Liverpool's most celebrated manager, under whose leadership the club broke free from the Second Division, and ended the 17 year League title dought in 1963-64 followed by two FA Cups, another League title and the UEFA Cup [1972-73]. After retirement Shankly passed on the reins to his assistant Bob Prisley who was to be the most successful manager of Liverpool during whose tenure the club went on to win six League titles, three consecutive League Cups, five Charity Shields and three European Cups.

The club's badge consists of a central "Liver Bird", holding an olive branch and placed inside a shield. Above the shield, the title of Liverpool's anthem "You will never walk alone" is graphically represented. The two flames on either side of the crest symbolize an eternal fire that will burn in memory of the Hillsborough disaster victims.

Eighteen English League Championships (a shared record with Man U), seven League Cups, seven FA Cups and five European Cups are the highlights of Liverpool's trophy cabinet. The renowned club also bagged a 'cup treble' in the 2000-2001 season.

Liverpool has played at Anfield (45,000+ capacity) since its establishment, although a newer stadium (Stanley Park Stadium) is under construction a few yards away from the present one, which will be the official ground of Liverpool from 2011 onwards.

The current shirt sponsors of Liverpool are a Danish brewery company known as Carlsberg. Signed in 1992, this is the longest running, current shirt sponsorship agreement for a top-notch English football club.

The most prominent rivalries of Liverpool are: Everton, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

CHELSEA QUICK FACTS

Founded: 15th March 1892
Ground: Anfield (45,362)
Co-owners: Geroge Gillett, Tom Hicks (Both from USA)
Manager: Rafael Benitez (Spain)
League: Barclay's Premier League
Last Season Position: 2nd
Captain: Steven Gerrard (UK)
V. Captain: Jamie Crragher (UK)
Did You Know: The product of Liverpool's intense rivalry with Everton is the Mereyside Derby, which holds the record of the most player sent-offs in any Premier League fixture.
Official Site: www.liverpoolfc.tv
Current Squad:
GOAL KEEPERS:
- Diego Cavalleiri (Brazil)
- Jose Manuel Reina (Spain)
- Charles Itandje (France)
- David Martin (UK)
- Martin Hansen (Denmark)
- Peter Gulacsi (Hungary)
DEFENDERS:
- Glen Johnson (UK)
- Daniel Agger (Denmark)
- Fabio Aurelio (Brazil)
- Alvaro Arbeloa (Spain)
- Emiliano Insua (Argentina)
- Jamie Carragher (UK)
- Philipp Degen (Switzerland)
- Stephen Darby (UK)
- Martin Kelly (UK)
- Martin Skrtel (Slovakia)
- Andrea Dossena (Italy)
MIDFIELDERS:
FORWARDS:
- Fernando Torres (Spain)
- Andriy Veronin (Ukraine)
- Dirk Kuyt (Netherlands)
- Ryan Babel (Netherlands)
- David N'Gog (France)
- Krisztian Nemeth (Hungary)

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Operation FC (Chelsea)

2009-07-27T12:28:00.005+06:00

Which football club comes to your mind upon seeing a crest bearing an upright blue lion, which is looking backwards and holding a staff? Yes! none other then Chelsea. The west London football club which has been making waves in the English Football circuit from its inception in 1905.

Also known as The Blues, because of the blue colour they appear to be so attached to. Although, the shades changed over the years, in the crests and Home/Away kits but the basic colour remained the same. This nickname was widely accepted among Chelsea's fan-following when the 1972 single "Blue is The Colour", rocked the UK Singles Chart with the voices of the then Chelsea's playing eleven.

This top-tier English football club has been English champions three times, and has won the FA Cup five times, the League Cup four times and the UEFA Winners' Cup twice.

The home ground of Chelsea is the 40, 065 capacity Stamford Bridge (although I always misunderstood it to be "Stanford Bridge").

Chelsea's traditional kit colurs are Royal Blue shirts and shorts with white socks. Their current shirt sponsors are "Samsung".

Chelsea's most prominent rivalries are; Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Man U, Leeds United and Liverpool.

CHELSEA QUICK FACTS

Founded: 14th March 1905
Ground: Stamford Bridge (40. 000+ capacity)
Owner: Rowan Abramovich (Russia)
Manager: Carlo Ancelotti (Italy)
Chairman: Bruce Buck (USA)
League: Barclay's Premier League
Last Season Position: 3rd
Captain: John Terry (UK)
V. Captain: Frank Lampard (UK)
2009 Player of the Year: Frank Lampard (UK)
Did You Know: C.F.C was initially founded for Stamford Bridge as the owners thought that such a big ground (it had 100,000 capacity then) required a club of its own!
Official Site: www.chelseafc.com
Current Squad:
GOAL KEEPERS:
- Petr Cech (Czech Republic)
- Henrique Hilario (Portugal)
- Ross Turnbull (UK)
DEFENDERS:
- Branislav Ivanovic (Serbia)
- Ashley Cole (UK)
- Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal)
- Jose Bosingwas (Portugal)
- Paulo Ferriera (Portugal)
- John Terry (UK)
- Alex (Brazil)
- Juliano Belletti (Brazil)
- Sam Hutchinson (UK)
- Michael Mancaienne (UK)
MIDFIELDERS
- Michael Essien (Ghana)
- Frank Lampard (UK)
- John Obi Mikel (Nigeria)
- Michael Ballack (Germany)
- Florent Malouda (France)
- Yuri Zhirkov (Russia)
- Deco (Portugal)

FORWARDS:
- Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine)
- Franko Di Santo (Argentina)
- Joe Cole (UK)
- Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)
- Claudio Pizarro (Peru)
- Scott Sinclair (UK)
- Salomon Kalou (Ivory Coast)
- Daniel Sturridge (UK)
- Nicolas Anelka (France)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Social Eye (Part 1)

2009-07-26T14:45:00.007+06:00

SPECIES OF GCSE CANDIDATES >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Homo Sapien Ferraris: You can easily notice this rare model of Ferrari by the speed at which they fill the answer booklet, they just seem to know everything, such that a suspicions arises in the minds of the fellow candidates that theses 'Ferraris' have somehow managed to leak the paper, may it be in dreams or in reality! You can spot this make of Ferrari (although they dont sport that prancing horse monogram of Ferrari anywhere) by parted hair (the style of a pre-schooler!), circular, thick-rimmed glasses (you almost mistake them for a magnifying glass, if u get a chance to see through those eyepieces), a closed neck button of their school shirt (against the will of the windpipe!) and that same conventional neat and tidy school uniform with no 'yo man! stuff' like rolled up sleeves, pulled out shirts etc. Although they might be too uncool to be from the house of Ferrari but the working of their Brain and CNS (Central Nervous System) literally makes them worthy to be called one.
Allah Walas: I am doubtful about these candidates' mental condition, because they don't even bother opening a book before the examination. The closest I can get to predict the roots of this 'ailment' is that either they are the sons of some Sufis\Darveshs or they are the sole successor of their Mullana father (yup, the one who has an overgrown beard!) as they are too expectant of divine help and enthusiastic about angels 'transporting' them all the correct answers. You can spot them easily as they have a red and an about-to-burst face with tears swimming in their eyes. One thought that I know would be battering their skulls like tsunami waves will be "Kash, ham tayari kar lete! (Ah!, if only we would have prepared!)"
"Chic Magnets": Yeah! you got it right. These are the bunch of guys who hand nearly blank answer booklets to the examiner before time, just to impress a few girls and turn a few heads. To them the awe-struck faces of sweety pies are more important than the satisfaction painted faces of their parents. They can easily be recognized as sons of successful business-men or money-making machines as they have bank-notes to cushion this academic fall.
Over Prepared Mumblers: These guys don't have a brain. They have got brains. As during the examination they have multiple factions of brain cells operating. Each feeding in a completely different solution...the result of knowing toooooo much. It is much like a hard-disk which is overflowing with information and responds with multiple results for a single 'search' query. As a result, you would find these type of candidates mumbling to themselves with their cheeks resting on their palms as they know the answer, yet they are completely baffled by the question due to the war which is in full-swing within their head.
Forecasters, i.e, The Najoomi Party: These are candidates who think they just know which paper would be coming this examination session. They are abundant outside the examination hall and can easily be seen within groups of other candidates, speaking in hushed whispers about 1982's Repeating Physics Paper, 1979's Recurring Chemistry MCQs etc. Sometimes I get to think that these 'candidates' are specifically hired by rival educational institutions to have a disturbing pre-exam impact on the candidates, an impact, that would have a negative effect on that schools overall result triggering a decrease in popularity.
Unbelievers: These candidates are usually short at confidence and just won't beleive that they have penned down the correct answer, even if they have! Usually they are spottable by the grunting sounds they would make which is often accompanied by tsk tsk. Most of their time is spent in rubbing and correcting answers and they frequently have pages in their answer booklets which have holes large enough to poke your nose through. But still they manage to, somehow, complete the paper. An out-of-this-world feat in my sightline.
One-chance Maniacs: These so called maniacs think that they have only one chance to get it right! They seem to be overpowered by the thought that their parents (middle-classed or poor) cannot bear the towering expenditure of another examination session so you can often see them shaking or crying at a question they are stuck at. They get through the examination by hook or by crook, completely overtaken by the mistakes they have committed which are there all because of that psychological pressure. And on the result day they don't get the result they were hopeful for but nothing can keep them from going unconscious when their parents themselves ask "How about reappearing son?"
Reappearing Magicians: This specie is contrary to the above one. These candidates are as light as a feather as they know that nothing is at stake. If don't get the result they desire for this time, they are always aware of the second chance. Therefore, as an outcome they get stunning grades all because of being relaxed. Some of them also get a bad result (due to less preparation), and you can see them sitting for the examination in the winter.
Time-bomb Affectees: These tranquil candidates are as lazy as a sloth at the commencement of the exam, thinking about each answer, making rough drafts, adding extra points etc. But all this calmness disappears into thin air when the truth dawns upon them, i.e, 30 minutes for more than half of the paper. They suddenly pick up speed...their hands just a blur. Casting nervous glances at the wall clock they get unaware of what is happening around them until they write down the final answer. Their troubles would be over, If only we had got time-traveling capabilities!!!
Year-o-Phobics: These candidates are completely taken in by the past-paper books (Redspot's to be precise) and going through innumerable mock exams' sessions with their help they have a wrong perception that this would also be the case in the Cambridge Originals! So as soon as the question paper is distributed to them, they can't get their eyes of the year part , i.e, 20-- one, thats when the real situation opens before them. This is their year....this is their paper...they are the ones to open it for the first time. Completely perplexed, they are jolted back to their senses by the Chief Examiner's stern voice, "Candidates, start your paper!" and they commence their exam after a few moments of disbelief...

Terms of Use / Copyrights

2009-07-26T14:38:00.003+06:00

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Please abide with the terms. If not, you will be facing a lawsuit you cannot win.

Match Box (Pak. vs Sl. 1st ODI)

2009-07-25T13:23:00.013+06:00

THE GROUND

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Rangiri Dambulla Stadium is the name. Built on a picturesque location in the North Central Province, this 16000 (apx.) capacity ground is amidst the test-hosting grounds of the world since 2000. One of the very few cricket grounds in Sri Lanka with floodlights installed.

With a lush green outfield on which the ball travels like a bullet, there is some surprise in knowing that most of the ODI matches played here had been quite low scoring, with the average first innings score of 198. In the 26 ODI matches played here so far, the team batting first has won 12 times while the team chasing a target have won 14 times. So pretty much balanced record here.

The pitch seems to help the fast bowlers initially due to the moisture provided by the high water table, which is there due to the proximity to the Dambulla Reservoir, but then the spinners come into play as the pitch deteriorates during play and the moistness is taken away by the scorching sun.

Above: A general view of RD Stadium, showing the immense play area and lush outfield.

Above: This photo shows the stands of the RD Stadium, with a beautiful peak in the backdrop.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

TEAM PERFORMANCES

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Pakistan:

Pakistan has so far played 5 ODIs here, winning only two of them. The highest total scored by Pakistan was 203 while the lowest one stands at 116.

Sri Lanka:

Sri Lanka had been on 21 outings here since 2000. Emerging victorious in 13 games, with the highest total of 282 and the lowest total they could muster was 120.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

FINAL RECOMMENDED PLAYING 11 FOR PAKISTAN

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Imran Nazir
Nasir Jamshed\Shoaib Malik

Two specialist openers are a must on this track, specially if you are batting first. But if Younus khan gets into friendships then Malik is bound to be here in place of any of these two.

Kamran Akmal
Misbah-ul-Haq
Mohammad Yousuf
Younus Khan
Shahid Afridi

This middle order is very strong, and should be strong, keeping in eye the constant collapses on this ground. Moreover Kamran and Misbah gel together very well because of their varied styles of play, which makes the opposition a bit nervous in field positioning (as seen in the final ODI against Australia in Abu Dhabi (May 2009)). Younus can also send Afridi up the order during PP or keep him a bit lower for the Batting PP. Well, I am not in favour of Younus to come ahead of the position specified above, considering his bad form with the bat.

Abdul Razzaq\Rana Naveed
Mohammad Amir
Umar Gul
Saeed Ajmal

Medium-pacers have been a handful on this track so Abdul Razzaq gets a place in our lower middle/tail area. Umar Gul is there for the middle overs while Amir should share the new ball with Razzaq. Ajmal and Afridi are the ones to keep a lookout for as this pitch goes well with spin later on. I won't be surprised if Younus himself bowls and gets some wickets. If Younus is adventurous enough he might swap Razzaq with Rana.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The above overview holds true for the 2nd and 3rd ODI as well!!

Stats Source: www.cricinfo.com

Photo (c) AFP

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Project Squad Pakistan (Part 1)

2009-07-24T17:06:00.007+06:00

Pakistan's Tour of Sri Lanka ODI Series Squad 2009. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Nasir Jamshed: A prolific left-hand opening batsman. Scoring loads of runs on the domestic circuit, he was first picked into the Pakistani side on Zimbabwe's tour of Pakistan in 2008. He also starred in the Asia Cup 2008, impressing many people. Then suddenly, much like a Pakistani talent, he was forgotten. he now gets a recall in the side in the place of out-of-form salman butt. An opportunity for him to cement his place in the side.

Imran Nazir: The comeback kid! He might be playing his first ODI in 2 years after severing ties with the rebel ICL. A great striker of the ball, who can really put the opposition on the backfoot by his absorbing and illustrious stroke play. not to mention the out-of-the-park route that he likes to take too regularly. Pundits label him more of a T20 player as his ODI average is just below the mid-twenties. but i tell you that this guy is one to look out for.

Umar Akmal: The younger brother of our wicket-keeper kamran akmal gets a call after some classical knocks against the aussies down under. An opener who likes to go after the new ball and tries to play the demoralizing game for the opponents early on. Though struggles a bit against medium-pacers but if successful in finding his groove, he can demolish the best in the business with disdain. Fingers crossed on this prospect, if he gets a chance though.

Younus Khan: The current captain of the Pakistani team is in a bad shape with the bat. Scoring at an average of 21 in the test series against the same opposition, he is not fit enough to come at number three or even four. But he says he will try to compensate for the test series loss by winning the ODI Series and the T20 but he has alot to do to improve his personal form with the bat. Although his leadership skill are great but in my philosophy a captain is not a captain until he leads from the front.

Mohammad Yousuf: The free flowing yousuf is the backbone of the Pakistani middle order. Piling up mountains of runs he is one of the few batsmen in world cricket today that have close to perfect technique. Although he takes a little time to adjust in the middle, but once he settles down, he is a difficult customer to deal with. Playing his first odi since 2007-icl-saga, Expectations are high on his part.

Misbah-ul-haq: Here comes the vice-captain! Who has been very inconsistent in his performances since he held this rank. After some hot words from the side of younus khan, he seems to be over with his bad patch, with a patient 65 against Sri Lanka in the final test. But now he has to mould himself into the shorter version of the game and perform, as the allegations are running high on him for lobbying in the pakistani camp against younus khan. Although a great striker and a sensible player, he needs to get something out of this series to silence the critics.

Shoaib malik: The former captain and the yoyo of the team. A very intelligent player in the ODI format of the game who has been the best odi allrounder of the year 2007. Although he had been under-pressure from all quarters after his controversial removal from captaincy, but recovered well and is very responsive to the current captain, with an unbeaten 134 against the lankans in the final test, he will be high in confidence and he should employ this form into the shorter version of the game.

Kamran Akmal: The wicket-keeper batsman, who recently rediscovered his form with the willow in the final test against sri lanka. He is a proficient striker on the off-side and has a very good record at number three position. He also pairs well with Misbah-ul-Haq and Pakistan owe many a wins to him. Although a bit rusty while keeping at the sumps but overall he is an agile sportman behind the stumps and should be the one to lookout for after younus's poor form with the bat at number three.

Shahid Afridi: "boom boom" Afridi as they call him, has been in a superb nick of late with both the bat and the ball. Converting his last two International appearences (ICC T20 WC) into match-winning performances and contributing greatly in the field. As a result expectations have risen for his acclaimed performances in the following up Sri Lankan Odi and T20 tour. The leg spin maestro has a bag full of tricks to unsettle any batting lineup...not to mention his slam-bang fireworks with the bat that can win an out-of-the-hand match before the opposition has time to think.

Abdul Razzaq: Another player from the 'ICL-returning-platoon'. A prolific hitter of the bowl lower down the order, who can make a deadly striking combination with afridi. Practically a slogger but he has modified his technique for any number after opening for Lahore Badshahs in the ICL. He is also a great medium-pacer who can seam and swing the bowl, and is one of the work-horses in the side. Although not given a chance in the test series, despite being in the squad, the gritty all-rounder has many-a-peoples' money on him to show his true performances against sri lanka in the limited overs' format.

Fawad Alam: The lucky charm, as many people call him, has been not exploited fully. A great left-handed batsman with a stance not too dissimilar of Simon Katich, who has piled a lot of runs in all three formats of the game in the domestic arena. He also bowls slow left arm off-spin. Apart from being an allrounder, he is a team-man, fielding his heart out on the field with breath-taking catches and runouts. This seems to me as the prime reason of his inclusion as Pakistan's sloppy fielding needs a strong arm like Fawad's.

Rana Naveed-ul-Hassan: Another comeback oldie. The 4th ICL player to return to the ranks of Pakistan after Razzaq, Nazir and Yousuf. He has shown his talents, both with the bat and the bowl in ICL which stands him almost at par with razzaq. It would be interesting to see that who gets the nod from captain younus khan. With hard-hitting power, seam and reverse-swing he is a typical bits and pieces cricketer who is so vital for a team's chances in anyormat of the game. Rana possesses an unplayable reverse-swinging yorker which makes him almost an automatic choice for a captain at the death in a T20 game.

Umar Gul: The star wicket-taker of this years T20 World Cup. Although his concentration on reverse-wing and bowling with an older ball has greatly effected this player's ability to endure a good spell with the new ball. He has been out of form throughout this tour showing only one moment of brilliance in the 2nd test match when he claimed four scalps. He has also have had problems with his runup bowling an unprecedented twenty plus noballs in the test series. He has to strike now in the ODI series as he is now finding competition in the Pakistani camp in the form of rana naveed and rao iftikhar anjum.

Mohammad Amir: This hot pace prospect from Rawalpindi has been compared by many for his excellent line (although a bit on the shorter side in terms of length) to the legendary pacer Wasim Akram. This left arm pacer finds a spot in the ODI squad in place of the unfit Sohail Tanvir. He would also be playing his first ODI in this series. Although he has six wickets from three tests, he should never be underestimated as many dropped chances and unfair decisions have kept this excellent new ball bowler's test-wickets' account from doubling over. Spare a thought for this guy, Lankans!!

Rao Iftikhar Anjum: Another fast bowler from the suburbs of Rawalpindi, Rao Iftikhar possesses a willy outswinger and comes with loads of ODI experience. Although he has not been regular in the Pakistani side for some time now, but this guy has the chance to make a comeback on this tour, and he has the skill to make it through, despite the tough battles for a place in the playing eleven between the five medium pacers\fast bowlers.

Saeed Ajmal: A star off-spinner who has been a victim of the selectors' over-looking and made his debut a thet late age of 31. But this guy has got bags of experience on spin bowling and an often unspottable weapon, the "Doosra", which helped him to be a regular in the playing eleven of all the three types of the game in no time. Saeed operates in a lethal tandem with Afridi which has worked for pakistan more often than not in the ODI format of the game.

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2009-04-10T19:07:00.000+05:00

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